The Roar of the Wilds
by Gavedin
Summary: Very AU. A monster, a youkai, a demon. They have many different names. Naruto is one of these creatures. Training with Jiraiya early on, he meets someone who's life he's able to change. Due to the circumstances, has he made a new friend, or possibly more?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: You should really know by now that I don't own neither Naruto nor Rosario+Vampire

Chapter 1:

The winds were howling as the blizzard tore through the blackened night sky. Snow fell in massive quantities, quickly filling in any footprints that may have marred the whitened earth. A nearby cave entrance was holed off, blocking the frozen water from entering, and in turn keeping any gathered heat from escaping its confines.

Inside, two males sat around a hastily made campfire. One, around ten years of age with blonde spiky hair, deep blue eyes and three whisker-like marks on each cheek. The other was an older man, in his fifties. He had long, spiky white hair and a metal headband across his forehead to keep the hair out of his eyes. Both wore black pants, a long-sleeved black shirt, black sandals that revealed the toes, and a long, tan winter cloak. The younger looked as though he was freezing while the elder would simply release a frozen puff of steam every now and then.

"C-c'mon, Ero-ga-ama…just lem-lemme t-transform al-lrea-ready…" the blonde choked out, hugging his cloak closer to his being as the bones inside of his jaw chattered away. The older man just rolled his eyes, before scratching at his jaw.

"Hmmm…no. I told you, this is training. If you transformed, yeah you would keep yourself from freezing but you wouldn't be training your body, now would you Naruto?" The newly revealed Naruto revealed his elongated canines in a grimace at the man, moving closer to the dancing flames before him. Stupid training. He should be back at the village, playing with the others like any other normal kid his age. The only catch was, both he and his sensei were far from normal.

They were what were known as youkai, or monsters.

Each group of youkai had their own villages or communities, whether they be big or small. Naruto and his teach Jiraiya came from one of the smaller known communities, a group of rare S-class ranked youkai known as zoanthropes. This class of monsters were usually always disguised in their human forms, but when their power was released the monster would change into an anthropomorphic beast.

In a way, they were closely related to werewolves, but the lycanthropes left of their own accord while stating they were better than the rest of the man-beasts. Werewolf genetics differed over the years as they split off from the main group. These monsters focused their youki into increased speed over the centuries and soon came to believe they were ranked higher due to the fact the full moon increased their abilities. A very long, very bloody war was fought between the two factions until both sides were reduced into a shaky armistice that has been held ever since.

Zoanthropes were unique in the fact that every single person was a different animal. Genes passed down through the ages ensured that any child born from at least one zoanthrope parent would have the ability to shapeshift. What the DNA was lacking was that it didn't ensure the animal species. If a child was born between two vulpine parents, the child could somehow wind up with a raven as its form. It was always a game for any family to make guesses as to what animal type a kid would be, sometimes forming bets between the entire community. With werewolves, the child was always assured to be a wolf creature.

Back to Naruto. He was the only child of Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina. His father was the head of the Zoan Village, a rare phoenix-styled zoanthrope who kept the village together and harbored relations with the other species of monsters. The boy got his hair and eye color from his dad. His mother was a bear-styled zoanthrope whose fur matched the deep, fiery red of her hair color. Naruto had received his mom's own personality and looks.

Many members of the village were already attempting to lure the blonde into arranged marriages with their daughters, to ensure a new generation of their kind would be born. Being the son of the village leader and his wife, both powerful creatures in their own right, didn't hurt matters either. Truthfully, Naruto just didn't care. He was ten for Pete's sake. It didn't matter to him at the moment because girls were still a bit icky in his eyes. Being chased by obsessed females would have that effect on you. So when his dad's mentor Jiraiya, one of the three most influential and powerful zoanthropes of the village, came to the Namikaze household and proposed a training trip for the young boy, Naruto accepted without a hitch.

And so here he finds himself.

Far away from home…

In a blizzard…

Unable to transform…

Shit.

"I-I hate y-you r-r-right now, you ov-overg-grown toa-ad!"

"Suck it up, Naruto. I told you the training would be harsh, but no, you agreed without a second though. So stop bitching already. Besides, I can't believe you ran from all of those girls. Tsk, tsk. You could be having your own little harem going on, but you ran. I'm ashamed to call you my student!" Jiraiya began to mock-cry, which in hindsight was a terrible idea because the tears froze as soon as they left the warm confines of his tear ducts. Cursing, the toad zoanthrope began to chip away at the ice encrusting his face as his young ward laughed at the situation.

"T-the girls-s ar-re s-scary. Ugh, f-fangirls…" the boy shuddered, but whether it was from the mental image of being chased and swooned over by his fans, or the freezing temperatures he really didn't know. By now Jiraiya had recovered, blinking his eyelids to remove any extra ice from their trappings. He looked over at the blonde before speaking.

"Alright, it's time we moved on. The village we were originally heading to should be close by, as long as we stayed on course. Once we make it through the tunnel barrier it'll be a lot more hospitable. The destination resides in its own pocket dimension so it'll be much warmer." At the mention of warmth, Naruto was already up and moving. The fire was doused and a man-sized hole was punched through the cave barrier.

"Let's g-go!" he yelled, rushing out into the snow storm. Jiraiya grabbed his rucksack and rushed after the kid, ranting about annoying, impatient brats.

"Dammit, Naruto! Wait! The village is the other way!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"…I'm l-lost…."

Naruto was currently trudging through the snow dunes, shivering as quickly as his prepubescent body would let him. He had lost Jiraiya in his rash act, and now he was paying for it. No matter which direction he looked, an endless sea of white greeted him along with the occasional rock-face or snow covered tree. He kept up an endless debate on whether to transform or not: If he did he would warm up considerably, but if he did then he would fail the body training. And he didn't like to fail. Finally, he just decided to transform at the last possible moment before he froze to death. That way the act would be justified as life-saving.

The howling in the air seemed to grow louder, but the wind didn't seem to increase at all. The blonde was confused by that, until the howling grew more intense and…was that multiple sounds? There's no way that could possibly be the wind…maybe he was close to the village?

A small pair of yellow lights cut through the haze, acting as a beacon of salvation to the young changling. He risked the loss of body heat by raising one shaking arms and waving animatedly. The howling seemed to grow feral as more yellow lights began surrounding him. Naruto swallowed, fighting the urge to lick his lips lest they begin to chap heavily. '_I don't think those are any rescue members…_'

The first pair of yellow lights darted forward, revealing themselves to actually be a pair of sickly, golden eyes glowing in the darkness. They were attached to the body of a wolf, which instantly put Naruto on the alert. Hopefully they were just normal wolves, out hunting or lost in the blizzard like he was. Even at ten, the young zoanthrope could easily fight them off, as long as they were mere wolves.

Oh, how wrong he was.

The wolf shook its body, flinging off any snow not caked into its ragged fur. A loud cracking noise rose from its spine as it began to stand erect, supporting its body weigh on its hind legs. Its front paws crunched, splitting from the pad and toes into longer, dexterous fingers. Its yellowed fangs could be seen gleaming in the moonlight, revealing the beast to be grinning. Even without his enhanced smell, the boy was willing to be the creature's foul breath could still be smelled form this distance. It let out a barking laugh, sniffing dramatically at the air.

"Well, well, boys. Anybody else smell that? That rancid, pungent stink of a fuckin' zoanthrope." The lycan's voice was raspy; gritty and somewhat masculine. Like he smoked three packs of cigarettes a day. The other members of his pack came forward, switching from their beast mode into their own zoan forms. A ragged circle ensnared the blonde, leaving no room for escape. Not good at all.

Naruto decided to try his hand at diplomacy, emulating what he had seen and heard his dad do many times before. "N-none of yo-you woul-ld happen t-to kno-know wh-here th-the n-nearby village is, w-would y-y-you?"

The leader snorted in amusement, cracking the nitrogen bubbles in his neck. "Oh, yeah. We know where that whore village is. But in return you have to transform, little zoan." His voiced oozed with sarcasm as he spoke to the blonde. They knew the youkai in front of them was the possible child of the leader of the zoanthropes, but they would have to see his transformation to make sure. He would make one hell of a ransom, and if not that, dinner was secured for that night. Delicious, child flesh. God, they couldn't wait. It was the reason they had been tailing the two youkai ever since they first entered the lycanthrope's territory.

"I c-can't. I'l-ll fail m-my trai-ining…" he explained lamely, causing a few of the beasts to chuff in laughter.

One of the werewolves snarled, a larger wolf with a scar running across his snout. "Listen here you little bastard! Transform or we'll rip y-" Naruto never learned what would be separated from his body as the wolf's muzzle was broken by a boot to the jaw. The wolf's face crunched into the ground, not even being cushioned by the snow. The man stomped heavily a few more times for good measure, making the sure lycan was out of action for good. The surrounding snow slowly turned crimson, the blood oozing from the recent kill a testament to what was to come.

The mystery man turned out to be Jiraiya, flaring his youki energy as high as he could release it. About half of the werewolves began to whimper, their tails curling between their legs as the primal fear seeped through their bones. No matter what you were, instinct could overcome rational thought at the drop of a hat. The other half countered with their own youki, though it was just a sort of shield to fight against the overwhelming feelings.

Jiraiya rushed to Naruto, quickly explaining that he found him by sensing the boy's youki reading. Only years of honing that sense had allowed the toad to find his student in this storm. Whispering more words, the man told Naruto to run to the village, as it actually was close to their location. Giving him the directions, all the blonde had to do was wait for an opening and then run and find any backup that could be spared. These werewolves were out of his league, and even a man like Jiraiya would need some help against these odds.

The elder zoanthrope's's body convulsed slightly as his skin turned rust red and dry. His legs elongated as his hands and feet gained long, slightly webbed appendages. Bending slightly to adjust to the new height, Jiraiya turned his now golden eyes upon the sworn enemies of his kind, the horizontally slit pupils giving an invitation of death for any that were willing. The lycans began howling to the crescent moon, thirsting for the blood of the oversized toad in front of them. More blood would be spilled soon, that much was assured.

They charged as one, claws exposed and teeth ready to rend and tear. Their opponent let out his own croaked roar as the youki in the air thickened, clashing incessantly with the howls. As soon as there was a small break in the defenses, Naruto took off towards salvation, his near frostbitten toes kicking through the cold, white powder.

His senses kicked into high gear form the heightened emotion, feeling three youki signatures hot on his heels. With a renewed vigor mixing along with the flow of adrenaline coursing though his veins, Naruto's only focus was putting one foot in front of the other.

'_Where is it? Where the hell is-THERE!_'

The young boy rushed for the obscure rock formation. Just as Jiraiya said, the entrance in the mountain was portrayed by a pair of bat-like wings carved out of the nearby rocks. As soon as he passed through the entrance way and portal, he'd be home free.

If he made it that far.

A burning pain found its way into his back as three sharpened claws sliced their way through muscle and tissue. Naruto cried out from the sudden sting as the attack lifted him off the ground, red ichor spraying form the gashes. Fortunately, the move forced him towards the mountainside and straight through the portal. The werewolves snarled, angered their prey had escaped into _that_ place. No way in hell would they attempt to go in there after their quarry, especially after those demons made it clear they weren't welcome at all.

Whatever. They only lost the small fry. Still, there was still the possibility of fresh toad legs if they backtracked quickly enough. That thought sent their salivary glands into overdrive, dripping down their furred chins to the packed snow below as the group ran back towards the rest of their group.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Owowowowow…ow."

Naruto was too engrossed by the pain emanating from his back to realize it was no longer snowing. Or cold. And the ground was rocky and covered in a fine-grain sand. Finally, before too long the stinging began to fade as the youki in his body caused the cuts to stitch togetger. The marks sizzled, leaving behind freshly raw skin. Man, was he ever thankful for a monster's advanced healing abilities.

"Oh? It seems we have a visitor, and it's not one of those foul canines!" Naruto looked up slowly, noticing a woman standing before him in a provocative pink dress that showed off her, *ahem*, generous body. If Naruto was a few years older, he mind may have drifted far south, especially when the woman folded her arms underneath her generous chest, causing them to appear larger. Ero-gama would have fainted from a massive nosebleed by now just by looking at her. She raised one arm, flicking her hip length black hair over her shoulder.

He swallowed, finally attempting to speak. "I…need help. Attacked…by…werewolves. Jiraiya-sen…sei…still out there…" he managed to pant out. The sprinting and wounds really took out a chunk of his endurance. The woman's eyes seemed to light up in recognition before she clapped her hands together and released a squeal of happiness.

"Oooooooh! Jiraiya-kun's finally here! But if those nasty furballs are out he'll need some help. C'mon, kid." She grabbed Naruto under the armpits, making sure to not exacerbate his recent injury. Clutching him to her bust she began to sprint before large black, bat-like wings sprouted from her shoulders. A thin, black tail with a spade-shaped tip sprouted from the underside of her dress as her ears lengthened and tapered to a point. She took to the air, causing Naruto to unintentionally grab a handful of her large breast in an attempt to stay in place.

"What…are you?" he whispered out, fearfully hoping he didn't fall. The woman moaned lightly, feeling the ministrations of his hands on her breast. "Mmmm…my name's Aya. And I'm a succubus, cutie." She gave him a wink before the blonde felt himself begin to nod off, the weight of the day and the smooth whistling of the air around him lulling him to sleep.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The ground felt nice and…soft? It was really comfy, very different from the hard ground he was used to sleeping upon while traveling with the perverted toad. Naruto slowly opened his eyes, blinking slowly before sitting up from his horizontal position. He yawned, his mouth opening wide to expose his sharp teeth. A giggle came from his right, causing the boy to shake the sleepiness from his system.

He looked over to see Aya smirking at him from a nearby chair, one leg crossed over the other. He rubbed at his eyes, before finally seeing another woman standing next to her. This one wore a tight red shirt with a black miniskirt, her bright blue hair pulled into a low ponytail. Her body was no less bountiful, perhaps even greater than Aya's, if that was even possible. "See, Ageha? He is such a little cutie. I think he may be around your daughter's age, too."

The newly named Ageha looked him over with a critical eye before smirking herself. Naruto suddenly felt the urge to cover himself with the dark silken sheets he was half buried in. "I see. This is the scamp Jiraiya-kun has been watching over. What's your name, boy?"

"Uh…Namikaze-Uzumaki Naruto…" He trailed off, the recent events flashing before his eyes which caused him to awkwardly fall out of the bed in a heap. "Is Ero-gama alright?" he asked hurriedly as he attempted to free himself from his velvety prison. Both females giggled again at his feeble attempts to free himself before he was finally able to stand. Ageha arched a delicate blue eyebrow, taking not of the boy's appearance and name.

'_Oh ho...so this is Naruto, eh?_'

"Don't worry. We were able to save Jiraiya-kun and send those dirty lycans packing. He's currently being _taken care of_ by some of the other succubi. You'll probably…see him at some point, yeah." Aya finished cryptically, sharing a knowing glance with her friend. Naruto didn't need to know exactly _how_ he was being treated. But then again if he was Jiraiya's student then the chances he wasn't already corrupted was slim to none. A shame, really.

"Oh. He's doing that. Gotcha. Well we were supposed to stay for two weeks so I guess I won't see him for at least half of that." The young zoan sighed, running a hand through his mess of a hairdo. "Uh, is there anything fun to do around here? And eat? And uh, ya know what? I could use some clean clothes and the like if that's alright."

"Blunt, aren't-cha Blondy?" The blue-haired bombshell laughed, ruffling his hair before pulling her hand back in slight revulsion. "Ooo, you could really use a shower. Well come on then. Aya, could you be a doll and let little Kurumu-chan know I'm helping out a friend's student?"

The dark-haired woman stood, giving a nod of consent to her fellow monster. "Yeah, sure I- wait. Why can't I take the little cutie and you go find your own daughter?" Ageha moved closer, whispering in her ear so Naruto couldn't hear.

"I think Naruto-kun could be a potential friend for Kurumu. You know how she is, barely having any friends or acting all high and mighty when she speaks to others her age. I really don't know where she gained that attitude. You don't know Kushina like I do, but if Naruto's anything like his mom then he can break her of that. Besides, I already found my Destined One and have no desire to jump anyone else…at least for now." She pulled back, slightly swatting the other woman on her rump playfully. Aya jumped, pretending to give Ageha a stern glare.

"Ageha, he's too young, He's like ten. Even if he _is_ cute…and those deep blue eyes. Mmm I can't wait till he gets older…" she sighed dreamily before yelping from another smack.

"See? He won't be raped on my watch. Now go on. You'll see him later along with Kurumu-chan after he's freshened up."

Naruto watched the two women speak, his head cocked to the side. These were succubi? They were…a strange and eccentric race. Maybe that's why Jiraiya had them come here, so he could learn more information about these curious youkai. Sure…that's the reason why he wanted to stop here. Naruto discreetly rolled his eyes before following after the elder succubus off to who knows where in this village full of man-hungry monsters.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_A/N: Well, here's a new one I had thought of awhile ago. Yes, Naruto's a monster and NO he's not a fox zoan. You will find out the type of zoanthrope he is later on, but I'm not exactly sure when. Also, when did I trick you a little bit into thinking the village they were heading to was either yuki-onna (middle of a snowy place) or vampires (the bat wing entrance)? If I did, woo. If not, not much of a loss._

_The pairing is NarutoxKurumu, but I'm really torn on making this a harem. Just 'cause I really like Mizore. At some point Naruto will head to the school, and I don't think I'm going to have Tsukune in here. Maybe. So many variables. If it does become a harem I think I may perhaps add some zoanthrope (Konoha) girls. Also, should other zoans go to Youkai Gakuen? The reason i'd have him go there was to escape from the fangirls.  
_

_ALSO, yes I am working on my other stories, just at a slower pace. I'm finally on summer break and I haven't been doing much of anything. In truth I had maybe a fifth or so of the new Lost in the Elements chapter done but because of a computer update I messed up and wasn't able to save it. __**Anger.**__ But so yeah, I will attempt to update those, as well as I starting the Naruto/Fairy Tail story. I want to get the first chapters out so I have at least something established. Maybe I'll start the Naruto/MGS story. It really depends if I ever stop feeling lazy. Part of the N/FT story is already made, but it has one of the generic dimension travel workings in the beginning, but i'm taking a different road with that. Hopefully it will seem like a new idea.  
_

_Another reason I've been taking so long is I started playing Monster Hunter again. I love those games, I just wish that more than myself had the game in my area. If I want to play multiplayer PSP I'd have to head to Utica to my cousin's. Sigh. So lame. But hot damn do I have awesome items for my character. I can't wait till MH portable 3__rd__ comes out in America. Tigrex S armor with longsword weapons!  
_

_Off topic but oh well. Maybe my love of MH will give rise to a possible story later on. Until next time._


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: You should really know by now that I don't own neither Naruto nor Rosario+Vampire

Chapter 2:

Nice and clean from a public bathhouse, our protagonist was currently walking behind Ageha as the two made their way through the Succubus' homeland. He now wore a pair of blue jeans, his slightly ragged cloak (freshly laundered), his black sandals, and an orange long sleeved t-shirt. Compared to his own village it was a rather exotic site. At home, the buildings were made of brick and stone, with the occasional wooden mansion dotting the landscape. Here, it was clay and brick, but the buildings were built upwards as skyscrapers. Perhaps to contribute to their ability to fly, as there was the occasional door resting high upon the buildings only accessible by flight.

He himself resided in one of the oriental, wooden 'clan' buildings along with his family, although it was currently only the three of them. His mother was always telling him to help make the clan larger when he was older, and whenever he'd reply "why don't you and dad just have some more kids", his mother would take on a frightening grin and then proceed to chase his father, who would take off like a bat out of hell. According to Jiraiya, Kushina turned into quite the rabid hellion when she was pregnant with him, and it pretty much left an emotional (and a few physical) scar on Minato.

One fact that Naruto was confused about was where did she find clothes that would fit him? As they walked, he noticed that there were only females, along with the occasional male of a different species. Succubi were seducers of men, so perhaps they bought clothes in case one their conquests already had a male child. Well whatever, it didn't really concern him and he didn't feel like asking the question.

Seeing some of the younger succubi, and the occasional older one, giving him an approving eye, he sidled up closer to Ageha in an attempt to shield himself from whatever they were thinking. Noting his slight discomfort, the busty woman merely laughed and patted him on his still partially damp head, the golden spikes still weighed down by the water.

"So, uh…what's your daughter like?" he asked, trying to at least get some kind of conversation going. Ageha looked at him with her violet eyes, a grin threatening to overtake her beautiful face.

"Trying to gather a little info on my daughter already, huh? And I thought we succubi worked fast." The boy became flustered, trying to deny the swift accusation. The blue-hair laughed loudly again, thinking he was just oh-so precious. Oh, she dearly hoped he would form some kind of bond with her little princess.

"Alright, I believe you. For now. Any who, she's the sweetest little thing, but when she's around others besides me or any who helped raise her she becomes a bit…snobby. I really don't know where she picked up that behavior from, but you would be such a sweetie if you tried to become her friend. She barely has any…" The woman began to wipe at her eyes, as if to dry any rogue tears that threatened to release. Naruto, still being a bit naïve and always hating to see others cry, began to adamantly vow to try his best. Ageha secretly smiled: she hadn't meant to use any feminine charms on the lad but it was simply part of her nature. Even if she hadn't, she had a feeling he would have tried to befriend Kurumu anyways. "Thank you…now come on! Time's a wastin'!" She grabbed the boy and took to the air, causing him to cry out in surprise as they flew upwards towards one of the skyscraper doors.

Higher and higher they ascended, before her tail wrapped around the nearby door handle and pushed it inward to grant them access. As the two entered, a blueish blur tackled into Ageha's side with a cry of "Mama!" Aya followed up the rear, smiling at the exchange.

The older succubus pulled her daughter into a happy hug. "Hey there, Kuru-chan. Sorry I was I was late, but I had to help out one of the newcomers." It was easy to tell that Kurumu was the daughter of Ageha. Both had the same vibrant blue hair and violet eyes. He would admit that she looked pretty cute. Kurumu wore a frilly white shirt and yellow capris with soft pink slippers on her feet. Naruto noticed that even though they were the same age, her own chest looked to already be developing and possibly at a B-cup.

'_It seems this monster species starts puberty early. I guess that sort of makes sense._' he mused silently, watching the two as they spoke.

Before long the girl looked over at him, confusion and possible disdain evident in her eyes. "Introduce yourself to our guest, dear. I've spoken with Jiraiya-kun and Naruto here will be staying with us until Jiraiya is better."

Kurumu looked up at her mother with an 'are you serious?' expression until she begrudgingly sighed in defeat.

"Hello, I'm Kurono Kurumu. Welcome to our home." she spoke, clearly bored of the whole situation already. This was going to be oh so much fun, he could already tell.

"Namikaze-Uzumaki Naruto." He replied blandly. The young seductress scoffed at his tone. Ageha scratched her temple before shrugging and placing a hand on both of the children's shoulders.

"Well now, how about the two of you go out and play for a few hours while getting to know one another? Dinner should be ready by the time you get back."

"…fine." Kurumu kicked off her slippers and pulled on a pair of white sneakers. She strolled over to the open door and took to the air, leaving behind the other three occupants. Naruto just watched her go before turning to the two remaining women.

"So, uh are there stairs or anything for us non-flying types?" Aya giggled and showed him out the back door and the massive set of stairs. The boy waved goodbye as the door clicked shut before sighing. They were like on the thirtieth floor or something…so many damn stairs. This seriously better be worth it.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

After finding Kurumu waiting for him impatiently at the bottom of the building, the two began to walk off towards the nearby playground. The silence was incredibly awkward as the girl had decided to stroll a few feet ahead of him and pretty much ignore his existence.

"So…" he began, trying to break the monotony. "What do you like to do for fun?"

"Shopping and reading magazines." She replied curtly.

"That sounds boring."

She rounded on him, a little red in the face. "What's it matter? You're gonna be gone in a week or so, so I could care less for your opinion!"

"Uh…right. Calm down. No need to be so worked up by someone else's opinion." He walked past her unmoving form as her mouth opened and closed wordlessly. She finally caught her bearings and ran up to him, stomping angrily next to his side. She fumed as they walked silently again before she growled out a few words, as if to spite him.

"You're a jerk."

"So are you."

"Gah!"

He really had no clue why she was trying to be such a bitch, especially when they had just met. Ageha _had _warned him but he wasn't expecting it to be flat out dissing.

Finally, after much posturing and name calling, the two made it to the playground where a bunch of other kids were. The ages seemed to range from around three to fourteen. And they were all female succubus'. Oh joy.

He sat on one of the open swings and started to move, with Kurumu forgoing the empty one next to him. She sat down two spaces from him, resting her chin in one of her palms before sighing. A couple of the older girls started to walk towards them and the blonde noticed that Kurumu was getting a bit fidgety: making sure her overall appearance was presentable and the like.

The apparent leader, a girl about thirteen in a white sundress and dull, shoulder-length yellow hair, sauntered over and leaned up against one of the swing supports, staring at Naruto the whole time with her bright, pupil-less red eyes. It was getting to be a bit uncomfortable for him, especially with all the constant stares. Finally, the girl decided to speak, her eyes darting over to her fellow succubus. "Hey, Kurumu. Who's your friend?"

The girl perked up, obviously flustered that this older girl was speaking to her. Remembering she had asked a question, she did her best to speak clearly. "H-hello, Chroma. Um, t-this is Naruto. And he's not my friend; he's just staying with me and my mom until it's time for him to go."

Chroma scratched her chin in thought before a devilish smirk wound across her lips. She stood up straight, puffing her chest out to try and appear sexier, before slowly making her way towards Naruto. By now, he had stopped swinging and inconspicuously slid out of the seat, ready to run at a moment's notice. He was fully aware that Chroma's friends, or cronies, or whatever they were, had circled back in case he tried to escape. What, they thought he was a human or something and would be easily caught? Preposterous!

"So if he's not your friend, you don't mind if we hang out with him instead?" she asked, never once removing her red orbs from Naruto. Kurumu didn't know how to respond, she was supposed to stick with him, but the girls would most likely take him away and she sure wasn't allowed to play with them...they made sure of that.

The boy stood up and walked over and behind Kurumu, before gently starting to push her on the swing. She let out a squawk and started to swing her legs in rhythm to keep her balance. "Sorry, I was playing with Kurumu first. Maybe some other time." He said flatly, clearly wanting them to leave. Apparently this girl was used to getting what she wanted because Chroma giggled a bit, as though he had just told a funny joke.

"Oh, you're funny. I like that. Kurumu doesn't mind at all if you come and play with us, right Kurumu?"

"W-well I-"

"Right, Kurumu?" She spoke those words with the same inflection as before, but Naruto noticed her eye's had turned a shade darker. Kurumu shook lightly in her seat, and with his hands on her back he could feel the shivers. A light bulb went off over his head, as it all made sense to him now. These girls were bullying her, plain and simple.

The young blue-hair gulped, not wanting any sort of confrontation, especially when they were surrounded. "It's alright, Naruto. Go with them…"

"Hmmmm while it does sound tempting, I'll have to decline. Hey Kurumu, want to see something cool?"

"Huh?"

He quickly pulled her off the swing and had her close her eyes. Reaching into his pocket, he grabbed an item before throwing it at the ground. A blinding flash lit the area when it struck the earth,and when their vision had finally cleared enough to see, the duo were already long gone.

Chroma was impressed. Sure, he may have escaped for the moment, but she could always find him later. Hell, if she really had to she could always just find out where Kurumu lived and go and get him. Plain and simple as that.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Phew…good thing I had an extra flash bomb left after one of my old training sessions. So…what was that about, hmmm?"

After throwing the blinding weapon, Naruto had grabbed Kurumu's hand and sped off, not knowing where he was going in the least. After making some distance and not detecting any hostile youki signatures after them, the two had stopped in an alleyway to catch their breath.

Kurumu looked away, not bothering to grace him with an answer. He crossed his arms while leaning against the nearby wall in an emulation of what he had seen Jiraiya do countless times before. If she wasn't going to speak then he'd just have to do it for her.

"Are they bullying you? I felt you trembling a bit back there. If they're picking on you then why not tell your mom or some other adults?"

She glared back at him, her violet eyes flashing in anger. "It's none of your business!"

"Since they were trying to goad me into going and doing whatever with them, it pretty much became my business right then and there. And they're apparently doing something to you, so as a guest in your place it's my job to take care of you." He replied calmly, showing remarkable restraint for a ten year old.

Her lip began to quiver, as though she was debating internally. It appeared to be quite the fierce discussion, at that. Before long, she seemed to relent but grabbed him by the shirt collar as an act of intimidation. It surely would have worked, especially if she had been able to lift him for than a few centimeters.

"Fine, but if you tell anyone…" she raised her free hand, the nails extending and ending dangerously close to a private area. The boy gulped and nodded, not wanting to lose any part of his body to this possibly insane girl. No one should threaten that area, ever!

Kurumu retracted her claws but kept the grip on his shirt while looking him dead in the eye. "That was Yatseru Chroma, the daughter of one of the high members of the Succubi Council. Her mom's busy a lot, so she's grown up without…proper supervision I guess. She acts spoiled and mean, and she has that gang of girls with her all the time." Her face slowly morphed from determined to saddened as she dropped her gaze, suddenly not able to look him in the eye. "They pick on everyone but for whatever reason they come after me a lot. They forbade me from telling anyone in the village or else she said she'd have her mom slander my family and anyone we're close with."

Naruto rubbed his chin, absorbing the new information before he snapped his fingers. "Well it's a good thing I'm not a succubus of the village then, eh? No reason for them to do anything about it. Are they also the reason you act like a bitch around others? I'm guessing they have you doing that for their own amusement." Kurumu could only find the strength to nod timidly, before she heard the blonde sigh. Looking up, she saw him grinning wildly which caught her unawares.

"I think now would be a good time to get back at them, don't you think so?" Her eyes widened in fright as she grabbed his now ruffled and creased shirt with both of her hands.

"No! She'll find out I was involved somehow and I'll get in trouble!"

Naruto gently gripped her wrists while rubbing them with his thumbs. The smooth motions caused a slight tickling sensation, which in turn caused her to release her death grip upon his unfortunate fabric. He lessened his grip while still holding her wrists lightly, before clearing his throat. "Then I'll say it was all my idea, since it is anyways. I'll take full responsibility, and you'll get off scot free. I promise you, and I don't break promises. If she complains or tries anything then you let me know and I'll go talk to her myself. Or I'll get the old pervert to; he seems to have some kind of pull around here…" He trailed off at the end, mumbling about perverted amphibians.

She looked at him silently while looking for any hint of deception or lying, yet unable to find what she was looking for. Finally, she voiced the one thought nagging her since the beginning. "Why are you doing this for me?" she asked softly, her gaze drifting down to their still conjoined hands. He merely chuckled.

"Because you're my friend." He stated as though it was the simplest fact in the world and she was an idiot for even thinking about asking the question. His blunt answer caused her to snort in pure amusement. It was kind of hard not to in the situation. But a smile graced her lips none the less.

Higher up from the two young youkai's location, two succubi were attached to the side of the building and watching the heartwarming scene unfold before their very eyes. Aya's face held a cute pout, her lip quivering as her tail rubbed her cheek affectionately. Ageha, though, had a shit eating grin as she held out one of her hands towards her fellow man-eater. The dark-haired succubus growled before slapping some bills into the awaiting palm.

"Ok, sheesh. You were right. I just wish I could find someone like that for me. Oh, Naruto! If only you were older!" Aya pretended to swoon, her leathery wings beating softly as she floated in the air next to her friend. The gorgeous blue-hair simply rolled her eyes but giggled at her friend's theatrics.

"I had a feeling he would help her out. Did I call it or what? And look! They're acting like something out of a romance novel!" she gushed, staring intently at her daughter and her new friend. "In fact…dare I say destined ones?" she pondered aloud, her arms crossed underneath her large bust while her own spade-tipped tail rubbed her chin.

"Do you really think so? I mean, it is rather early to make any insinuations of that nature, Ageha."

"Call it a 'mother's intuition'."

Aya pouted again before her face grew stern. "What about this 'Chroma' girl. Are you going to continue letting her harass your daughter?" She noticed Ageha's purple iris' train on her, a dangerous glint barely hidden behind the bright orbs.

"I'm willing to let this play out for now, but if it comes time to then I'll step in. You really think I'll just sit around and play with myself now that I know what's troubling my precious daughter?"

"No but I bet you'll make time to play with yourself anyways." Aya laughed, having to dodge a near beheading from Ageha's elongated nails. "What? You know it's true!" she chided playfully.

"At least I won't be thinking about a ten year old!"

This time it was Ageha's turn to dodge a claw swipe. "I'll have you know I age him about ten or so years, bitch!" It was the succubus mom's turn to laugh, before the two eventually settled down from their unplanned midair spar.

They watched as Naruto began to walk out of the alley, dragging a complacent Kurumu behind him. Ageha smiled lightly before spreading her wings and catching a nearby thermal, gaining altitude to follow the pair. "Have faith in Naruto-kun. I believe he knows what he's doing." she added, dipping a little closer to her targets.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"You have no idea what you're doing."

"Yes I do! Stop doubting me, geez!"

After a quick detour back to the apartment, Naruto had grabbed his frayed and worn backpack and then proceeded to drag Kurumu back through town. After bombarding her with questions about the target, the two headed to a department store. Luckily, Kurumu had a credit card in her name but she was almost out for his blood when she realized some of her shopping money was being put to use for, well…something not clothes related.

After quick promises of how it would be worth it, she begrudgingly relented. With the now procured money, he proceeded to buy a few items but didn't reveal them to the girl. He stated it was for her own good because 'how can you get in trouble over it when you don't even know what's happening?'. She had to concede that point, it made some sense.

After a stint of Naruto mixing things together and acting like a mad scientist, complete with occasional giggles and maniacal laughter, he was ready to go. Now they just needed to find their unfortunate target.

They wandered the area for five minutes before backtracking to the playground. It just so happened that Chroma and her goons hadn't left yet, instead deciding to take up residence at the swings. Deciding to have Kurumu stay back and out of sight, it was time to put his plan into motion. A feral grin threatened to split his face as his eyes turned golden for a moment, the black pupils narrowing into slits before returning to normal just as quickly. He reached into his bag before pulling out a plastic bottle full of cherry Gatorade, some quick drying adhesive, and some haphazardly stitched together tennis balls. It was go time.

As he strolled forward, one of the succubi noticed him and pointed him out to the others. Chroma held a smug grin, obviously thinking he had ditched the loser and came back to be with a real woman- er, girl.

He approached them, smiling sweetly while using all his willpower to not bust out cackling. He sat in the swing next to the leader, as the other monsters closed in around them. "So I see you decided to take up my offer. I'm glad."

"Yeah, well. I thought 'why not?' You're older than her so it's _obvious_ you'd know more things than Kurumu. But if I may so ask, why pick on her? She seems like a nice girl."

"Oh, she's done nothing wrong. It's just she's so cute. Too cute, if you ask me. And once she starts coming into her body then she's just going to get even better looking. Just like her mom. I'm just trying to lessen the competition around here if i ever want to find my Destined One." Her words took a frosty tone, as Naruto resisted the urge to raise an eyebrow in wonder. She was jealous of a ten year old and what she could possibly look like in the future? They were all succubi! They're all going to be cute and then later on, beautiful. Cripes. What a shallow and very strange reason to pick on someone, but it was always bound to happen at least at some point.

"I see."

"Mmm but now that you're here we can have lots of fun together!" She instantly perked up, batting her eyelashes at the boy. It was quite easy to notice the hidden undertones lacing her words and Naruto felt he really had to bring point across.

"Um…you know I'm only ten, right?" She scoffed before her and the others started to laugh. She was able to calm herself a bit before answering finally answering the boy.

"So? I'm a succubus. We're trained early on in the arts of seduction, and it'll benefit the both of us. We won't go all the way but I bet I can make you scream my name." she purred, causing the boy to awkwardly scratch at his cheek. Things were progressing too fast, and he was beginning to get a little creeped out by this race. Did they not care he was severely underage? He needed to start the operation now.

"Yeah, before we get to the 'fun', are you thirsty at all?" he asked, pulling out the bottle. Her eyes lit up happily at seeing the cherry-flavored drink before she stood from her seat and skipped over to him merrily. He had picked her favorite flavor! She pulled him into a hug, mashing him between her breasts as she had witnessed countless times before with other members of her race. His arms flailed around as he gasped for air, until finally he was freed from his soft, fleshy confines.

"H-here." he stuttered out, neither confirming nor denying he had enjoyed that. She grabbed the drink and began to walk back to her swing, but Naruto sprung into action. Getting there first, he discreetly slid the tube of adhesive out of his sleeve. With subtle, quick movements he applied the glue to the rubber seat and then smiled widely, acting like he was holding the swing still for her.

She smiled back, giving him a wink. "Such a gentleman." she cooed. Tilting her head back, she took a hearty gulp of the juice while sitting down.

And then the fun began.

From a building half a block away, Kurumu had the perfect, uninterrupted view of the whole proceedings. She had her head poked out from behind the brick in a very Hinata-ish fashion. To say she was nervous would be an understatement. Would this work? Would she really get off without any trouble? She witnessed him be pressed into Chroma's chest, and a small clenching feeling went off in her own. She paid it no mind as she was too engrossed in the scene.

'_He looks like he enjoyed that…_' she looked down at her own still growing chest. Was that something that worked on men? She had, after all, just started her succubi training with her mom and Aya. Chroma's breasts were larger, so she'd still have to grow a bit before she could try it out on anyone.

Then her eyes took in Naruto giving her the juice and acting like a gentleman, and a small niggling of doubt wormed its way into her thoughts. '_What if…what if he's just messing with me, like all the others? He really seems to be into her…_' She felt betrayed. He said that he would help her!

But soon her fear and premature presumptions vanished as she watched her tormentor take a swig of the juice.

She smiled again, wiping at her eye. Naruto really had kept his promise. Soon, childish giggling echoed off the building's walls as the pranks went off without a hitch.

High above, Ageha and Aya were still watching the two, though this time they had brought some refreshments. Watching Naruto interact with Chroma, Aya muttered one sentence before chowing down on a handful of popcorn. "Wow, he's good."

Ageha sipped on her soda, whispering back as though they were inside a theater while watching a movie up on the big screen. "No argument there."

Back with Naruto, he couldn't help but grin as she took a drink of the 'juice', her butt sitting directly on the glue. She smacked her lips, looking quizzically at the bottle. "This tastes a little funny…" She went to stand but found her dress wouldn't move from its spot on the swing. She looked at the blonde in confusion before her tongue began itching. The itching grew, before it turned into a burn that traveled all the way down her throat. No matter how many times she swallowed it seemed to become worse, and with her clothes glued to the swing set there was no way for her to run and find some water unless she wanted to risk embarrassment.

Naruto was fighting the urge to laugh, which in turned caused his mouth and eye to twitch rapidly before a chuckle finally escaped. Chroma's head whipped to the side, finally piecing together that he must have done something. "You…what'd you do?" she wheezed out.

Unable to take it anymore, Naruto fell backwards and began to laugh boisterously. He was able to squeeze out a sentence before succumbing to the hilarity yet again. "I pranked you! Glue on your seat and high-grade hot sauce mixed in the bottle!"

"WHAT!"

She tried to turn and grab at him but the fabric wouldn't budge, and the burning sensation had caused her eyes to water in an act of flushing her system. She pointed at one of her friends, not able to make out which one through the tears, and gave an order. "I need water!"

Back on his feet, the boy shook his head. "No need, when you can go and get it yourself." He placed one hand on the small of her back and the other on her shoulder and gave a forceful shove.

**RRRRRIP**

The cloth gave way, taking a nice chunk out of the back while revealing her panties and bra. The female blonde squeaked in shock, her face tinged red from both embarrassment and from the heat pooling in her esophagus. "Whoopsie." He giggled, before rubbing the back of his head in mock embarrassment. He grabbed the two tennis balls and chucked them at two of the other girls. Both hit the girls in the chest, and they exploded upon impact. Orange paint showered the area, covering the females and anything else with the unfortunate luck of being near them.

Chroma spun, giving him a death glare as her wings unfurled from her back and her tail sprouted from underneath her panties. He shook his head and wagged a finger, before giving her a toothy grin. "Instead of chasing me down, you should go put on some new clothes and take care of the burning in your mouth. Trust me; it'll sting for awhile 'cause i know from experience. And even being a young succubus I don't think you'll enjoy flashing everyone your underwear. Your friends could probably use a shower now, as well. Besides, you'll never catch a prankster. I've already pranked Kurumu and a bunch of other people and they haven't caught me yet. So for now, I'll bid you adieu." At that he gave a two-fingered salute and a wink, turned, and took off at a dash while whooping in enjoyment.

Chroma and her friends took to the skies while the blonde tried to cover her backside with the remains of the ruined dress. Even though her face was one of fury, her mind was actually much calmer. '_So he played practical jokes on others besides me, and Kurumu was one of his victims. I guess he proved he wasn't as good of a friend to her as he said he was. Plus, he had the gall to play a trick upon me…_'

Yes, she was both angry _and_ impressed. She had decided, right then and there, that even if Namikaze-Uzumaki Naruto was not her Destined One, well…she was still going to have him.

One way or the other.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Naruto ran towards where he left Kurumu, noticing she was closer to his location than before. She must have moved closer to get a better viewing spot. He grabbed her hand and pulled her along again, just like before, although this time he was still laughing. Finally, after a good distance, he stopped and leaned against the wall. He was out of breath both from the constant running he was doing lately and the laughter.

Kurumu, too, was winding down from her giggle fit before she cleared her throat, catching his attention. "Um, I heard what you said back there. Why did you say you pranked me and other people when that's obviously a lie?" The blonde smiled lightly, before walking over and poking her in the forehead. She scowled, rubbing at the spot while giving him a light glare.

"That, my friend, was so she would think I didn't just target her and her friends. She thinks you were tricked also, so can she blame you for her misfortune when you were a 'victim' as well?" he finished, making air quotes at the word 'victim'.

She blinked a few times, before smiling back. "Wow. That's pretty smart. I wasn't expecting that."

"I know, I'm pretty good aren't I?...wait. You made it sound like I'm usually dumb."

Kurumu just skipped away in the direction of the apartment, whistling innocently. Naruto stood and watching her, before giving chase. "Hey, get back here and answer me!" The young succubus laughed before transforming into her true form and flying up to her apartment door. The boy cupped his hands and shouted up at her.

"You're in trouble when I get up there!" He shook his head before heading towards the ground-level door, a small smile on his lips. He was honestly happy about the events, and he believed that he made a friend out of Kurumu. She was beaming the whole way back home, and if that didn't mean he had made some progress with her then he wasn't sure what would.

Entering the lobby and making his way to the stairwell, he sighed before a low growl emanated from his throat. Did they really have to have an apartment so high up? Shrugging, he just classified it as a type of exercise and went on his merry way.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Back with the older succubi, Ageha had stars in her eyes after witnessing the interactions between her daughter and the blonde boy. As a mother, she was ecstatic that someone had broken through to her little girl and became friends with her. She was already mapping out the wedding that would take place between the two mentally. Oh, she just couldn't wait.

Aya, meanwhile, was still snickering about what had befallen Chroma and her gang. "Remind me to never get on Naruto's bad side." she joked, getting a quick nod of agreement from Ageha. "But you know…I have the feeling we'll be seeing more of the bullies, don't you?"

If only she knew how right she was.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_A/N: Alright, second chapter done. And I'm still as lazy as ever. Next I'll be finishing the first chapter of my Fairy Tail crossover, then I'm not really sure which story I should add to. Or if I should maybe start the MGS crossover. Urg, choices._

_There'll probably one or two more chapters before things pick up and a time skip happens. Chroma's after Naruto, Kurumu has a friend, and Jiraiya's still off perving about. Good times. At the moment it's still a NarutoxKurumu story with others who will vie for his attention. The decisions on his girl or girls won't be final until he heads off to school._

_Inuboy86__ - How else would you portray physical embodiments of lust and the seducers of men as? Nuns? I do figure there are different kinds though. Some might be very outgoing, others reserved, etc. Unless someone writes a story and wants to switch things up and change their personalities as a race, then let 'em. Probably make for a rather crazy story then.__ Succubi with a vampires mentality? Or were actually quite timid of the opposite sex? Madness._

_Welp, until next time.  
_


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: You should really know by now that I don't own neither Naruto nor Rosario+Vampire

Chapter 3:

Oh, how time ever flies. Ever since the day of the prank, Chroma and her goons had made themselves scarce. Thanks to Naruto's intervention and his admirable personality, Kurumu had finally began to open up to others besides her mother and Aya. Naruto just happened to be one of the first.

She even made him role-play house one time, since she had never actually had anyone to play with before. She forced him into being the husband while she was the loving wife. Ageha was simply loving every minute of watching the charade, until the boy mentioned that this meant she was getting on in the years and to watch out for grey hair and sagging. He was on the run for his life for the next few hours.

It was now nearing the end of the second week and the two kids found themselves in the apartment's living room, lazily lounging about. It was raining outside in the realm today, so the two kids were forced to stay inside. Naruto actually had no qualms about the falling water; it was quite peaceful to him. Kurumu though, had threatened him with none of her cooking if he even mentioned that they should go outside. The blonde had learned over time that the young succubus had a passion for making food, and was quite skilled at it too. So he begrudgingly agreed to stay in the apartment, lest he make her mad and lose out on her delicious creations.

A knocking at the staircase door roused them from their laziness. Kurumu sent Naruto a pouty look, pretty much begging him to get up and check on who it was. Lately, Ageha had also been teaching her daughter and getting her to use any new techniques on their resident oblivious participant. The puppy dog eyes were one of the earliest and easiest seduction techniques to learn, and Naruto just couldn't say no to such a cute face.

No matter how much he would complain about it afterward.

She grinned triumphantly when he slowly rose from his upside-down position on the love seat and shuffled over to the door. He sent her a half-hearted glare which in turn caused the bluenette's smile to widen even more.

**KNOCK KNOCK KNO-**

"Hold your horses! Sheesh!" he exclaimed, flinging the door open after confirming no hostile youki signatures outside the door. In fact, the single energy reading felt familiar…

"Finally. I was turning into an old man waiting out here for you." came the familiar, deepened baritone of his mentor, Jiraiya.

"Ero-gama!" There he stood, looking pretty much the same as the last time he saw him. The only differences present was his right arm was bandaged and bound tightly in a sling, and his face now sported three claw-like scars between his eyebrows, reaching down over the bridge of his nose and actually heading upward into his headband. The metal was clawed and scratched by the three large gashes and by the looks of it, if he hadn't worn that metal plate he would have most likely been injured fatally by the nails or possibly even blinded.

Naruto jumped at the man with is arms outstretched in the classical hug position. Caught unawares but touched to see his student worried about him, the old toad stretched out his own free arm to catch the hug. Expecting to feel the weight of the child, he waited…

Before feeling said boy's feet in a flying double boot to the face.

The impact sent the older man reeling backwards, losing his footing and rolling down several flights of stairs before coming to a dazed stop in a boneless heap.

"You stupid asshole! You nearly get yourself killed and then spend almost two whole weeks with a bunch of succubi while 'getting treatment' without even checking to see if your student is ok? I can smell all the different female scents all over you! Jerk!" The boy was at the railing, yelling down at the slightly twitching form of his teacher. By now Kurumu had exited the room because of all of the commotion, but found herself reduced into a fit of giggles at seeing the small scuffle as well as her friend's anger fueled rant.

A few minutes later the trio found themselves back inside of the apartment with Naruto and Kurumu on the couch and Jiraiya in the chair. Naruto was still gazing unblinking at the man, wishing him more pain. Popping a few more vertebrae into place, the man stretched back and let loose a sigh. "Geez kid. You know I'm still recovering a bit, right?"

"We're monsters. We heal fast. If you were human you'd probably be stuck in a hospital on life support instead of taking off with a bunch of the local monsters."

"Well, to tell you the truth…a few of them wore nurse costumes. That counts, right?"

"First off: I didn't need to hear that. Second: That's the real reason you wanted to come here isn't it?" the boy asked sternly, with Jiraiya unable to meet his gaze.

"Well…not exactly. I mean, we are here for you to learn more about them...and for me to have some harmless fun."

Wrong answer.

Naruto stood as tall as his ten year old frame could stand, miniscule amounts of youki breaking free from his reserves. Kurumu took note that his eyes had morphed from the deep blue she had come to secretly admire, to a more golden hue complete with tightly constricted pupils. In fact they were slitted, glaring at the man. One of his arms had transformed, the right becoming more muscular and covered in a tannish-yellow fur and sharp, thin claws.

Truth be told, she still didn't know what sort of monster Naruto was. Sure, she knew he was a S-class zoanthrope. The problem was she was unaware of the _type_ of zoanthrope. Whenever she asked, he would just smirk and say he didn't feel like telling and not even the puppy eyes could drag it out of him. At least now she knew he was some sort of mammalian-styled zoan.

His spoke again, his voice taking a darker tone. "**You had me freezing my ass off in that infernal blizzard outside, and wouldn't even let me transform? Just so you could go off with a bunch of women?**" Jiraiya went to answer, but was unexpectedly cut off by the boy.

"Well, no matter. If we didn't come here I would have never met Kurumu, and that would've really sucked. And you were already hurt by those lycans so I guess it wouldn't be fair to beat you up so soon." he remarked with yet another grin, casually tossing an arm around the girl's shoulders. His half-transformation was completely missing, his arm and eyes back to their human appearance.

Kurumu couldn't help it; she blushed. Not just from the contact, but from the fact he was happy to have met her. It made her feel warm inside and caused her heart to speed up slightly. She was a bit unsure as to what was happening with her…she'd have to ask her mom or Aya later on. Unknown to the young succubus, Jiraiya had witnessed the whole event including her slowly reddened face.

Oh this was good. He already had a slew of girls after him back in his own village, and by the looks of it a succubus was starting to feel for him. Actually, this could be good for the brat. She wouldn't be after him because of his status as the leader's son or because he 'had good genes' or whatever. Maybe she'd be the one to tame him one day. Jiraiya snorted faintly. Ironic choice of words, considering what his animal form was.

"I'm glad you made a new friend and had fun but I received a letter from your dad. He wants us to hurry our trip up. We're leaving today and it's off to the next monster village far to the north."

Both kids look flabbergasted. "What? I thought we had a few days left! Why does dad want us moving on already?" the boy nearly shouted.

"This is not only a training trip, but a means to view and learn more about the other species of youki in this world. It's partially political and it was what your parents wanted."

"Okay…but why do you have to leave today?" This question was voiced by Kurumu.

"Oh? Don't want your little boyfriend leaving so soon?" Jiraiya teased, laughing at the red and sputtering faces of the two kids. "To tell you the truth, Kushina is worried sick after I sent them the letter about the lycan attack. She wanted us home this very instant but Minato was able to talk her down to us staying about a week with the different races instead of a few weeks. By that sense, we've already overstayed our welcome here and need to make tracks."

"Oh…" the two sighed in unison, causing the toad to scratch at his chin in thought.

"Well, since Ageha and Aya aren't here for a proper goodbye, I suppose we could stay for one more day. No harm, right? We'll leave tomorrow night. It's a new moon so any of the werewolves in the area would be severely underpowered. They'll be back in their own homes and we'll be able to pass on by without a fight." he mentioned casually, though both kids gladly heard very word.

Both jumped up, wrapping each other in a hug and laughing merrily. Jiraiya looked on with a faint smile as he watched them race around the room. Waiting one more day couldn't hurt. Besides, it gave him a bit more time to go back and see Kairi.

And Diane.

And Kaoru.

And Shima.

Hehehehehe.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It was now the day of departure, and Naruto and Kurumu had both woken up extra early to go out and play as much as their young bodies could. Luckily the storm had ended sometime during the night, and there were barely any puddles or wet equipment due to the realm's humid air.

The duo was currently back at the playground, having a good 'ole time. Playing tag, swinging (the bit of Chroma's dress was still glued there, ha!), the jungle gym, and so on. Kurumu seemed to have a smile permanently etched upon her face lately, and today was no exception. The only major snag was when a voice spoke up from behind her, causing the blood to freeze in her veins.

"Oh, my. What do we have here?"

Naruto himself froze as well, abruptly turning on his heel and forming a small hole in the dirt. There stood Chroma, hands on her hips and a wicked smirk on her face. Her hair was in two low pigtails, and she wore a light green tank top and darker brown short-shorts. Her eyes flicked back and forth between the two before finally resting on the blonde.

"I see you two are getting along well. Mind if I join you?" Neither moved, causing the older girl to sigh. She held up her hands in a form of surrender. "Look. I'm not here to fight. I wanted to apologize for tormenting you, Kurumu, and I wanted to get to know Naruto better." The blue-haired girl looked on at the other girl, involved in an immense internal debate before finally giving off a timid nod. Naruto, however, was still wary of the girl and wouldn't let his guard down.

For about an hour, the three chatted while sitting on the playset. Once they got past the bitch factor, Chroma acted like a nice, normal girl. The two females talked about fashion and other things, which caused the boy to scoff and head off to the swing set yet again and swing by himself, just to get away from the girl talk. He noticed every once in a while the two would look over in his direction and giggle lightly.

Before long, the girls rejoined him at the swings. "So today's your last day here, huh? That's a shame, really. I would have loved to get to known you on a more personal level." remarked the other blonde. Naruto just nodded, unsure of what to say to that comment. "Would either of you mind if I hung out with Naruto for a few hours, just the two of us? After that you can have him back for yourself."

'_If he even wants to see you again._' Her quick grin was quickly hidden by a mask of indifference, unnoticed by the others.

The blonde zoan shot a quick glance at his friend, his face clearly shouting 'I really don't want to do this'. The succubus just shrugged, telling him to just go and get it over with. They had until nighttime to do things and it was barely past 9:30 AM. The boy exhaled deeply before nodding, causing the red-eyed girl to latch onto his arm happily and drag him away.

He gave her a forlorn wave to Kurumu which she matched, before she shouted after the receding pair. "I'll be back at home, making a goodbye dinner! Don't be late, mister!" He raised his arm in acknowledgement before he was yanked around a corner and out of her sight. She really didn't want him to go either, but Chroma seemed like she was actually sorry for her behavior. For now she'd give the girl the benefit of the doubt…

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The hours just passed by, and the duo had done many things that would have been considered a normal for a date. Going out to eat, fooling around and laughing. They had even seen an early show at the village's resident movie theater. It was actually a rather nice way to waste time.

"Oh, I wish you didn't have to leave so soon! Especially now. I know we originally got off on the wrong foot, but things seem so much better now."

"Er, right."

"I just noticed that since you and Kurumu were getting along so well after you mentioned you pranked her, I just thought…why not us, as well?"

"That makes sense…"

'_Exept I never actually tricked Kurumu._'

"For now, how about we just talk and get comfortable with each other?"

"Um, sure…" The two sat on a nearby bench, though Chroma made sure to sit rather close to the blonde. He tried to scoot away but he was at the end of the seat, so begrudgingly he let her move closer.

"So…" she said, raising a finger to her chin as her eyes screwed up in concentration. Dammit, she looked cute that way. And yet she gave off the air of ignorance, not at all knowing the effect she was having on him.

At least that's what he assumed. She knew what she was doing, and smirked inwardly at seeing his reaction with her peripheral vision. At least he found her attractive. That was a minor stepping stone of her plot.

"So. Ho exactly did you pull a prank on our dear Kurumu?" she asked the boy, causing him to mildly panic as warning lights went off in his mind. Shit he was not expecting that.

"Well, uh…I…tampered with her cooking. She was being mean, like you were forcing her to, and so I got back at her." He mentally pat himself on the back, glad to have come up with the lie on the spot. He even got a jab in at her, unable to hide the minor contempt from entering his voice as he spoke about her previous doings. To her credit, she actually looked ashamed.

"I know, and I feel terrible about it. I only did it because, truthfully…I was goaded into doing it. I may seem like the boss or leader of my friends, but they can be influential when they want to be. But that's in the past and I'm hoping to make a better future. I hope you and Kurumu will be there to help me." She leaned a bit closer, her large-for-her-age chest brushing up against his arm. He didn't shy away, which she took as a good sign. Truthfully he had just frozen from the contact, his face beginning to take on a pinkish hue.

"Can I ask you something, Naruto? And please…answer truthfully…do you like Kurumu?"

"Well of course I do. She's my friend."

The blonde shook her head, the pigtails waving back and forth. The motion caused him to get a better whiff of her scented shampoo. It smelled really nice…like vanilla and coconut. "No. I mean like, do you _like_ her? Possibly romantic feelings or can see you dating her sometime in the future?"

He leaned back, his eyes tracing the clouds in the sky. Truthfully, he hadn't really thought about it at all. Yes, she was cute. And as they grew older she would become even more beautiful. Plus now that he knew the real Kurumu, it was easy to see that they got along well together. So as of now, in his beginning stages of puberty-addled brain: Sure, it was a possibility.

"Hmmm…well. Right now I see her as a friend, but maybe when we're older then something could happen? It still seems kinda early to be thinking about having a girlfriend. I am only ten after all."

He looked over to see her red eyes looking tearfully at him, mere inches away from where his own face rested. "Y-you mean I d-didn't *sniff* ev-even have a ch-chance?" she sobbed out, grasping his arm and letting loose one single tear.

Dammit, he seriously hated when girls cried. And this time it was apparently his fault. "N-no! I mean…well. Damn I don't know what to do…of course you have a chance. Anyone does. You think I'd pass up on a beautiful girl? You're crazy! Besides. We're both blonde. There's already a connection…sort of." he joked, trying to change the atmosphere between the two. It seemed to work, her tears drying up as she pulled him into a bone crushing hug. In actuality she was just a damn good actor.

"Hooray!" she cheered, making sure to press her assets against his own chest. She hadn't bothered to wear a bra today as she hoped for this sort of situation to happen so as to let him get a feel. And boy, did he feel it. He couldn't see her face at this angle but she was grinning evilly, her mind already formulating the next series of her plan. Actually…**that** could work…

"Oh my…I feel so strange. My hearts beating faster than it should! Here, could you check for me?" She pulled back, grasping his hand and pulling it forward. She made damn sure he got a handful of her left breast. Subconsciously, he gave it a gentle squeeze which caused the girl to bite her lip in appreciation.

"Mmmm…do that again…" she murmured, her eyes seeming to cloud over. Realizing what he had just done, Naruto pulled back as though his hand was just thrust into a raging fire.

"Ack! Sorry!"

"It's alright. I liked it." She giggled, leaning against his shoulder. He stiffened slightly, though he couldn't get the soft feeling to leave his hand and mind. He had even felt something poking him in middle of his palm, before his eyes widened as he realized it had been her hardening nipple. Seeing the emotions play over his face, the crafty succubus knew her plan was nearly complete.

"U-um…why are you trying so hard to be with me?" he finally managed to stammer out, causing the girl to giggle yet again.

"Well, you've heard of a succubi's Destined One, correct?" He managed to nod, trying to keep his eyes from her chest or any other body part. "I think you might be mine." He jumped slightly in his seat, not expecting that response in the slightest. She laughed at his reaction, sliding a hand across the worn wood of the bench before entwining her fingers with his. He didn't fight it, but he didn't grasp back either. Good. He was ready.

"Could you do me a favor, please?"

"U-um, what is i-it?"

"Could you look into my eyes?" she asked sweetly, nudging him a bit. He turned involuntarily, unsure why she would be making such a weird request. As soon as blue met red, she pounced. Focusing her youki into her eyes, Chroma released the spell into a focused beam that she had been practicing to master ever since Naruto had first pranked her.

**CHARM**

As he looked into her eyes, he noticed that the irises seemed to be slowly spinning in their sockets. He felt a wave of foreign youki enter his body and for the life of him he couldn't seem to get it to disperse. Soon, though, it receded and he gave it no more thought. In fact, all his attention was now focused on the gorgeous goddess who sat next to him. It was truly an honor to be in her presence, and she was even interested in him!

No…that's not right. Where did those thoughts come from? Sure, she was good looking. But a goddess? Sorry, not yet.

But…those soft, pink lips. Bountiful chest that was still growing. Curvaceous figure that would grow to tempt any man. Beautiful blonde hair and daring crimson eyes…

Where the hell were these thoughts coming from?

"Naruto…" she asked softly, noting his eyes had taken a dull look as he slowly gripped her hand. "What do you think of me now?"

"Like I couldn't go on without you."

'_What the hell was that? Why can't I move my body either?_'

Chroma hopped in her seat, delighted at the fact her very first attempt at a charm had worked. The movement had caused her bust to jiggle, which did not go unnoticed by the blonde. "Ah! Naughty boy, daring to look at my chest." she cooed, grabbed both mounds in her hands and lifting them slightly. He merely nodded in a slow, zombie-like fashion.

"You're mine now, right Naruto-kun?" Another nod.

'_What? No I'm not!_'

"Then I want you to stay here with me and never interact with that slut Kurumu ever again."

"Your wish is my command." he spoke monotonously.

"Now. Kiss me." Naruto grabbed Chroma about the waist, causig her to squeak as he pulled her into his lap. She readjusted, grinding herself into his crotch on purpose. Now, all they had to do was kiss and he would be hers forever, as the textbooks on charm magic explained. She was a bit nervous, to tell you the truth. It would be her first kiss and she was very excited.

She could feel his warm breath on her face as he drew nearer. She closed her eyes, expecting at any moment to feel his own lips against hers. Pursing them, she leaned in closer at the same time he did, and…

"GO, NARUTO! 'ATTA BOY!"

Both of them stopped pre-kiss, looking over at the source of the noise. There sat Jiraiya in a nearby tree limb, his arm still bandaged but out of the sling as he scribbled away in some sort of notebook. He held a bemused look while giggling perversely every few seconds. Seeing their reactions, he chose to comment. "Oh, sorry. Don't mind me."

"Do you mind?" the pig-tailed girl remarked hotly, growling angrily at the ruined moment. Damn that old, perverted bastard to the deepest pits of hell!

"Go away, Jiraiya. We are busy right now." The man quirked an eyebrow at the boy's lackadaisical response. Narrowing his eyes, he noticed the dead look in Naruto's blank stare.

'_Well, shit. He's been charmed. Kushina will have my hide if he gets attached to a succubus and imprisoned forever._' The man shivered, knowing toad legs would be on that mad woman's menu if he didn't step in.

"Sorry to break up your little make-out session but I need to speak with Naruto for a moment." He asked, hopping out of the tree without making any sort of sound. As he drew closer, the girl had no choice but to comply for now.

"*sigh*alright, but hurry it up." The man just waved her off as she discreetly ordered Naruto to see what he wanted and then get him to leave.

"Naruto? There you are! I've been worried about you!" Chroma snarled, the wood held between her hands splintering in her anger. Why the fuck did **she** have to show up now, of all the times?

Kurumu entered the area, panting lightly from the excursion. She had ran around the area checking shops and other locations in an attempt to find her friend, as it was already past 2 and she had still not heard a peep from the boy.

"Sorry, Kurumu-san. But I do not wish to see you anymore." he monotoned, glancing in her direction before looking back to Jiraiya.

"W-what?" That sentence caught her completely off guard, shocking her to the core. What had happened?

"I do not wish to be friends with you anymore. Chroma-chan is much better than you in every way, and will grow to become an unparalleled goddess in the future."

"Ohhhh, stop…" the girl grabbed at her cheeks, unable to keep a blush from spreading at his praise. The fact that Kurumu was close to crying was icing on the cake.

The bluenette turned to flee, wanting to get as far away from that jerk as possible. It seemed he wanted to break their newly formed friendship and instead chose that bully over her! Well fine! She didn't need him at all! But why couldn't she stop the tears stop flowing down her face?

Her advance was halted when she suddenly ran into an rock hard wall. Blinking and rubbing at her eyes, she made out the obstruction to be none other than the toad zoanthrope. He leaned down, placing a hand on her head as he whispered lowly to the distraught female.

"Be strong. Naruto isn't in control of his actions at the moment. But I know what to do. Wait here, alright?" Feeling some sort of hope well up within her chest, the young succubus nodded and turned back to the others.

The older zoan walked back over to Naruto, flexing his left hand a few times. "Oi, kid. I want you to watch my hand. You'll get quite the surprise, I guarantee it!" He slowly moved his arm upward, pleased that the bewitched boy was following his movements. Then, quick as a bolt of lightning he slammed his curled fist downward, directly into Naruto's skull. The force of the impact created a miniature crater in the ground, throwing up cement chips and other debris. Both girls screamed in fear that the man had just killed their friend/conquest.

A few dazed coughs escaped from the dust field, as a figure drunkenly stumbled out in a haggard fashion. It was Naruto, and he had just been knocked for one hell of a loop. Both succubi cried out happily before glaring angrily at the other, both intent on staring the opposite girl to death.

A moment passed as the blonde cleared his head, clutching the bleeding and bruised area of flesh atop his skull. Letting loose a cry of rage, he leapt at his teacher with the intent to kill. "You son of a bitch! What the fuck was that for, you could have killed me!" He halted in his advance suddenly, his ire vanished in midair. He dropped to the ground, checking his body out before throwing both fists in the air and triumphantly crying out, "I'm in control of my body again!"

Kurumu made her way over to Naruto, happy to see her chipper friend back to his old self. "What happened? Why were you not able to control your body?"

"He was charmed by your friend over there. It's a spell that any succubus will learn at some point in their life. When used, any male will become their willing slave, but it wears off over time. When a charmed slave is kissed by the object of their desire, the succubus can channel more of their energy through the lips and turn the man into a permanent slave, eager to do any and all of their bidding."

"WHAT?"

"Yup. So I had to knock some sense into you, literally. And don't even bitch. Us S-class monsters would barely call that a love tap and you know it."

"…jerk." The Namikaze-Uzumaki rubbed at his bloodied head, already feeling the damage in the early stages of healing.

"Shut up! All of you!" The three turned to see Chroma fully transformed, her nails and wings flexing dangerously. "I'll kill the two of you and make him mine permanently, like I was about to! But you ruined my whole plan by finding us! Just DIE!" she screamed, making ready to pounce at the trio and make good on her threat.

Until a little blue blur sped past Naruto and nearly gored Chroma through the chest. There stood Kurumu, fully transformed as well, and boy did she ever look pissed. Her claws flashed menacingly as she ducked low, ready to attack again. "How dare you! I bought your whole ' I've changed' spiel and I even thought we could be friends! And you go behind my back and try to take Naruto?"

The elder girl taunted, clearly believing the battle would be over quickly. "Shut your mouth, you little bitch. Once I get rid of you and the pervert I'll just finished what I started. Mmmm I can't wait until the two of us are older and consummate our love, before getting into the hot and heavy se-" the blonde had to fly straight upwards in haste to dodge yet another attack, this one ripping large gouges into the bench she once sat on. The bluenette didn't waste a second, charging into the sky in pursuit of her hated enemy.

The two males just stood there and watched the two head into the air, one in shock and the other in surprised humor. "Wow. I was gonna do…something…because she tried to control me, but I guess Kurumu-chan has it handled."

"Oh? It's Kurumu-chan now, eh brat?" the man asked in a teasing tone, causing the boy to look away.

"What of it, pervert?"

"Methinks someone's go a little crush on their friend. And I think those feelings are mutual. Didja hear the way she sounded when she made her little speech? 'And you go behind my back and try to take Naruto?' She's got it bad. I was even expecting her to say 'my Naruto.'"

"Shut up!" He hit the guy in the gut, but the blow merely made Jiraiya chuckle. Naruto shook his hand, noting his knuckles would probably be bruised after that contact. "Asshole. So, uh, shouldn't we do something about those two? I don't want either of them dying, even if Chroma is a manipulative witch."

"Don't worry about it. We've got backup."

From the sky Aya and Ageha appeared, both ready to do battle by the looks of it. "What happened? I felt Kurumu's youki skyrocket around this area."

"Long story short; Chroma tricked us into thinking she was friendly, she charmed me, made me act mean towards Kurumu-chan, and now the two are fighting in the air."

Aya had her eyes closed the entire time, but opened them quickly as Naruto finished his tale. "Ageha, I have a lock on Kurumu's energy. Let's go." The other woman nodded before both of them took off after the two younger members of their species.

"So what do we do then?"

"My boy…we watch and bask in the glory of the almighty catfight. They're fighting over you! Be proud!"

"I have the feeling that's going to happen a lot back at our village anyways. Why would I want it to happen here?

"

"Spoil sport. Now come on, I want good seats."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Whore!"

"Bitch!"

The two were darting and weaving between buildings, trading as many blows as they did insults. Chroma was beginning to wear down from the constant excessive movement. She may have been older and stronger, but the little bitch was way faster due to her smaller frame. For every attack she made, Kurumu doubled the assault. It was maddening to the older girl.

Deciding on a different approach, Chroma decided to go tactical. "Why do you care anyways? It's not like you have feelings for him or anything!" Kurumu's glare hardened but the tinge of pink now dusting her cheeks gave her feelings away. "He even told me before I charmed him that he didn't like you that way!" She had to bend backwards, her opponents claws barely grazing her stomach and nearly cutting the underside of her breast.

"Shut up! I don't believe you!"

Chroma lurched forward, raking her claws downward. Kurumu flapped her wings, causing her body to move backwards and out of harms way. She twisted back before dropping down in an impressive display of acrobatics and launched herself at the exposed underside of the blonde. Chroma screamed out as Kurumu's nails drew blood. "You cunt! I'll kill you!"

The blue-haired succubus merely kept up her speed, flying above the girl before dive bombing. This time her claws nicked the other girls wings, causing enough damage for her to lose control of the flying muscles. As she began to fall, the younger Kurono grabbed onto her back and used her own mass and wings to increase the rate of descent. Ten seconds later Chroma found herself facedown in the dirt, coughing up blood as Kurumu dug her heel into the girl's backside. She heard a clapping and turned to see her mother and Aya cheering her on, which significantly boosted her confidence.

She looked back down, her iron-clad violet eyes gazing into the weakened red glare of the girl who made her life hell for years. She raised her hand, forming the claws and fingers into an extended, razor sharp shovel and focused her youki to strengthen the attack. Here it was. Sweet revenge for all the pain she had felt. And for trying to take her man.

Friend.

Her friend. Yeah. That's what she meant. Her best friend. Who had been there for her and helped her out, standing up to the bullies and actually caring for her and who she was.

And this bitch tried to take him away. That was all the motivation she needed.

"Don't kill her, Kurumu!"

With a cry she brought the attack down while ignoring the voice, straight into its intended target. Chroma cried out in terror as the force of the attack raised a cloud of smoke, obscuring the grisly sight within.

As the smoke slowly dispersed into the air, silence filled the air as the small audience gave witness to the scene within.

Kurumu.

With her claws lodged in the ground next to Chroma's face, all the way up to her elbow. Either she had veered off at the last second or the attack was never meant to land. Either way, her attack had still made contact with the girl's pretty face, cutting open the left side of her forehead and cheek.

The angry girl leaned down, whispering lowly into the bloodied ear of her former rival so only she could bear witness to her words. "Never threaten me, my family, or anyone I care about ever again. Or I will utterly destroy you." With a mighty yank, the girl freed her arm from its earthy prison and released her transformation. She stood, throwing a grateful smile to her mom and aunt-like figure, before turning to the boy she had grown fond of as of late.

Said boy stood there in mute shock, looking between the seemingly unscathed Kurumu and the feeble, downed form of Chroma. Was there anything else going to catch him completely off guard today? Seriously, this was like the twentieth time he had seen or heard something that threw him for a loop.

Kurumu stood there, biting her lip and fidgeting under his gaze. Would he be angry with her? She did sort of lose it back there…BUT she didn't kill the girl, like he asked. She just hurt her a bit. He walked forward until he was within arm's reach, and she closed her eyes while awaiting his judgment. Instead she felt herself pulled into a hug and twirled around in place.

"That was amazing! You beat someone who was older and most likely stronger! That was so cool, Kurumu-chan! I'm glad you didn't kill her though." Once again the girl found herself blushing because of this boy, but this time it was from him adding the –chan suffix to her name. But at the moment she thought 'who cares?' and hugged him back with equal vigor.

She whined sadly when he released her, but quickly found out the reason was because her mother had wanted to congratulate her on the fight. As the other two talked, Naruto and Jiraiya made their way over to the muffled sobs of an injured succubus. The boy kneeled down, placing a hand on her forehead and brushing the bangs out of her eyes. Chroma tried to glare at him but found she both didn't have the strength and just didn't want to.

"Listen…" he began. "I know it's in your nature to control men and pretty much do whatever you want. But sometimes there are limits. This time you pushed pretty far past the boundary. Don't give me that look. Just listen, alright? I'm still angry with you, for trying to control me and hurt Kurumu-chan. But…I can tell you're not really such a bad person at heart. Just misguided. So one day, perhaps…we can really be friends. Even you and Kurumu. C'mon, don't glare at me. I mean it. Maybe the friends you have right now aren't a good influence on you. Try branching out, meet new people. Whatever. But if I ever see you again, I would really like to see a change. You just need to stop acting immature and grow up."

The girl let out a moan, but the small, pained smile on her face gave him the idea that she would at least try. "Thank you. Now get better alright? I don't know if she heard me yell it out or not, but I'm glad she didn't kill you. And when you are feeling up to it I'd like you to apologize to Kurumu-chan. Don't groan at me. And you really have to mean it this time. You've been given a second chance. Don't waste it, alright?" He leaned down, brushing his hand along her uninjured cheek. "Take care, Chroma." She looked as though she wished to say something, but the day's events finally caught up to her and she passed out where she lay.

"Geez kid, you sure are a little lady killer aren't you? In more ways than one." The boy jumped back, fearfully looking at his mentor.

"She's not really dead, is she?" he asked quickly, dread growing in his gut at the fact he may have just witnessed a death close up. And with someone he knew. Not very personally, but close none the less.

"No, no." Jiraiya waved him off. "She just fainted. Once she starts to heal she'll be fine in a few days. Her injuries aren't too severe, although there may possibly be some faint scarring on her face." The boy released a relieved sigh, clearly happy about the prognosis.

The females joined them, looking down disdainfully at the injured girl. "Did you hear what I said to her?" Naruto asked, causing Kurumu to pout and sigh but nod anyways. "I think she's learned not to pick on you anymore. Give her one more chance. I think you can handle her if she tries anything." He finished, nudging her with his elbow. She giggled, pushing him back.

Ageha moved near her daughter, plopping a hand down on the girl's head. "As touching a scene this is, we better finish up here. Aya, could you-"

"Yeah, yeah. I'm on it. I'll drop her off to get fixed up and let her mom know what happened." Aya picked up the injured girl daintily before heading of in the direction of the nearby hospital. Since when the hell did she turn into a delivery girl?

"So…I'm hungry. Can we go and eat the dinner Kurumu-chan said she was going to make?" The boy's stomach chose that moment to growl loudly, causing Jiraiya to laugh and turn to speak with Ageha.

"That sounds good. We head back and wait for Aya, and then leave after dinner. I've already picked up our supplies." He leaned a little closer, whispering to the motherly succubus. "By the way, you notice that he's adding -chan to her name now?"

Ageha began to gush. "I know! It's so cute!" She began rubbing her hands together, apparently plotting something sinister about the two young friends.

"Um…whatever you're thinking…well I don't think I want to know." The smirk on her face merely grew. "C'mon, Ageha. They're still kids. Let them be for now. If anything happens, let it happen naturally." The woman deflated but kept her chin high.

"Fine. I'll back off for now." she groused.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

He party went off without a hitch. Upon Aya's return, the Kuronos laid out the smorgasbord of food that the younger of the two had cooked. It was pretty damn tasty, as Jiraiya and Naruto could attest to.

An hour later, it was finally time for the two zoanthropes to be on their way. Kurumu had tears in her violet eyes, not wanting her first friend to leave. She jumped him, holding him close to her and cried into his shoulder. "Do you really have to go?" she finally said, after blowing her nose and calming down a bit.

"Sadly yeah. BUT I got you a present to remember me by." Naruto grinned at seeing the confused yet happy look on her face. "Remember a few days ago when you saw that hair band in the clothing store window but you weren't able to buy it since I used your money to prank the girls? Well I sorta borrowed some money from Er-gama-"

"I thought I had lost that!"

"-and went and got it for you. Think of it as something to remember me by." He reached into his back pocket and pulled out the item. It was a simple hair band that was purple in color, with both white and purple frills. At each end was a purple ribbon designed to keep it in its place on the head. Both ribbons were held against the band by a yellow star. It complemented her long, bright blue hair very nicely.

The girl cried out happily, taking the hairpiece in her hands. Borrowing a tie from Aya, she pulled the back of her hair into a small ponytail while the rest hung freely at the sides. Setting the band on top of her head, she affixed it into place and did a little twirl.

"How do I look?" she chirped, striking a small pose. Naruto nodded along, thinking it did look pretty cute on her.

"It looks cute." Kurumu smiled again, tackling him with another hug. But this time she added a little extra. She leaned forward, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek before ducking her head down from his view. She wasn't sure what possessed her to do it but she was happy she did.

Naruto felt his own face heating up before he tightened the hug on the small girl. "I'll take that as a thank you." She nodded shyly into his shoulder. Ageha sent a look towards Jiraiya and he merely nodded his head.

'_I told you they didn't need any outside help._' he thought, although the small gestures he added made sure Ageha knew what she was thinking. She ran a hand through her long mane but nodded anyways.

"Alright, brat. It's time to go. You'll always have time to see your little girlfriend after we finish up the trip. I'm not sure how long it'll take though…there are countless species of monsters and not all are as friendly as the succubi."

Naruto just nodded but glared at the man for saying girlfriend. He gave the girl another quick hug before releasing her. "I guess it's goodbye for now, Kurumu-chan. I…hope I see you again some time."

"Me too, Naruto-kun."

Being dragged away, the boy soon found himself crammed between the two older succubi's cleavage as they teased him, whispering in his ear to visit anytime before finally saying goodbye. (Jiraiya just got a quick 'goodbye and take care.' Lucky brat.)

As they left the room, the three girls watched them go. It was very silent but Kurumu suddenly had the feeling something ominous was about to happen.

5.

4.

3.

2.

1.

"So it's Naruto-_kun_ now, Kuru-chan?"

"MOM!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Making their way to the portal, Naruto noticed a movement out of the corner of his eye. Looking over he witnessed a flash of yellow and a person waving to him from behind a store corner. To his great surprise it was Chroma, bandaged heavily and conscious, and yet she still had escaped the hospital and made her way here. Telling Jiraiya to wait a moment, he walked over to the girl.

"Hey, Chroma. I'm glad you're awake."

"H-hi, Naruto-kun. Um…I just wanted to say goodbye, and that…I was sorry. I really mean it this time. And I'm willing to apologize to Kurumu too…I just wanted to let you know. Also…thanks for believing in me after all of this. And not wanting me to die…"

The boy scratched at the back of his blonde locks, feeling slightly embarrassed. "You're welcome. It wasn't a big problem. I want you to just be yourself and not try to force me into doing something I don't want to do. You learned your lesson and want to make up for it, right?"

The girl looked at him with her uncovered eye, glad that he agreed with her and nodded. "Um…are you ever coming back?"

Naruto looked back over at the waiting Jiraiya before finally answering her question. "I don't know. I'd like to. But they have me going around, visiting what monster villages we can while also training, or whatever. We don't know how long it will take though. Maybe on the way back?" She looked downcast but made a move anyways.

She kissed him on the cheek, staying a few seconds longer than normal. She pulled away, her eye looking everywhere but him. "Come back and see us alright?" She then hobbled away as fast as her injured body could. '_Next time I'll win you over without any tricks. I might not be hostile to her anymore but I still won't lose to Kurumu._'

Naruto scratched at his cheek, still unsure of his opinion of this race of monsters. They seemed to switch mindsets every day. The boy sighed. Oh well, at least they weren't going to fight anymore. He hoped.

Walking back to the old toad, the man threw him a knowing smile. "You're going to have multiple girls in every city, aren't you? A port in every storm. If only I was in your shoes."

"It's not like that!" he yelled back as the two exited from the succubus homeland. It had stopped snowing, thank you very much, but the powder was piled high. It towered over the top of Naruto's head and was nearly up to the top of the taller man's spiky hair.

"Whatever, brat. You should be careful in the next town we visit, then. Their race is slowly dying out, along with a small window of opportunity to have kids. So as soon as they're able to have children or even years before that, they try and find a mate."

They began to push through the snow, overcharging the youki into their hands and using the heat and steam to melt their way through the frosty barrier. "What race is it?" the boy asked, curious about their next destination.

"The land of the yuki-onna!" Jiraiya suddenly crouched down, his legs transforming into his toad alter-ego's. With a mighty push he rocketed into the air and away from the child, yelling back at the suddenly shrinking boy. "Better keep up! And still no transforming!"

Naruto let out a roar, cursing all idiotic toad perverts while ferociously attacking the snow before him. Stupid training rules!

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_A/N: Truthfully, I wasn't sure what to do with this chapter, so I hope it seems like it made sense. Normally I sit and write out my story chapters in a notebook and then put them on the laptop, but lately I've just been doing them on the computer right on the spot. Not as much planning involved that way, so it takes a bit longer._

_My laptop fried sadlya few days ago, so i've been working on our crappy old computer. It's so damn slow! i've been working on the new chapters for all my stories, so i'll get them up as soon as i can._

_Now Naruto has two succubi vying for his attention along with any of the fans back home. Sheesh. _

_As for Chroma, even in a different universe he's still the lovable goofball with the ability to change enemies and make friends out of anyone._

_I may have Chroma show up later in the story, although unsure as of yet. It's still strictly NarutoxKurumu at this point, but he's going to naturally have feelings for other girls who he gradually gets to know (not fangirls, as they only really want him because of his status and their projections of what he can be, yadda yadaa.). He's a growing boy, ya know._

_Until next time._


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: You should really know by now that I don't own neither Naruto nor Rosario+Vampire

Chapter 4:

**Warning: Compared to other chapters, this one will be riddled with naughtiness. **

_A cool breeze billowed through the open window, causing Kurumu to shiver as the air danced across her bare skin. Slowly pushing the silky covers off of her prone form, the succubus sat up while rubbing at her eyes. Yawning cutely, she shivered again as the window once again let in another small gust, causing her exposed nipples to harden in turn. Raising her arms to ward off the cold, she hopped out of the bed and ran to the nearby dresser._

_Now clad in a spaghetti-strap tank top that could barely stand the strain of her breasts, black lace panties and a long red robe, the female used the bathroom and brushed her teeth before using her hands to shake out her long, vibrant blue hair that now reached down to the small of her back. The smell of eggs wafted in from the downstairs kitchen, causing the woman to smirk lightly before nearly gliding down the stairs. Last night had been magical like always, and she could make due with a repeat performance. Thank god they made sure to reinforce the walls to help block out loud noises._

_As she descended the stairs Kurumu released a wistful sigh as she smiled to herself. The pictures hanging on the staircase wall always made her grin as the memories of those days would spring to the front of her mind. As her slippered feet reached the bottom stair and she entered the kitchen, twin cries of "Momma!" echoed into her ears as her grin intensified._

_She kneeled down to intercept the two missiles, commonly referred to as her son and daughter, 6 year old Shinji and 9 year old Lenna. Shinji had the blue hair of his mother with a widow's peak, though it was a few shades darker than her bright blue. Like his father, the boy had deep blue eyes that almost made him be mistaken for a snow-man at first glance along with his hair. He too was a zoanthrope like his dad. A bat, in fact. Usually the lad would merely transform his arms and fly around the skies with his sister._

_Lenna was a succubus like her mom along with the violet eyes, though she received her own hair color from her dad's side of the family. She had the long, red hair of her grandmother except with the occasional strand of blonde and the barest edge of her roots were yellow. So far the girl hadn't shown any sort of transforming ability like her father._

_Wrapping both in a large embrace, the mom of two finally released them when she heard the chuckling of the last person in the room. "Wow. I never get a super greeting from them like that." Kurumu smirked, standing up and sauntering over to the male and making sure her robe just so happened to 'open' a bit as she walked._

"_Well, my love, that just shows they care for their mother more." she teased, leaning in as the two embraced. "Morning, Naruto." She whispered breathily before capturing his lips in a heated kiss. The two were forced apart with amused smirks on their faces as they heard the kids begin gagging in the background. "You may think its gross now but just wait until someone comes along and grabs your attention!" she said loudly, making sure the two heard her. Lenna and Shinji released a few shouts of 'never' before grabbing some extra food and rushing out the nearby entrance with their backpacks on. Their funny uncle Jiraiya had promised to take them to school today, and they couldn't wait to see him._

"_Bye mom! Bye dad! Love you!" the two yelled in unison, forgetting to close the door. Naruto released his wife, causing her to whine at the loss of contact as he walked away to close the wooden door, but not before yelling out after the two retreating figures._

"_You two be good!" he shouted after them, waving at the children. With a shake of his head, the portal was closed to the outside world. Walking back into the kitchen, he came upon quite the erotic sight: Kurumu with her robe off, bent over to grab something from underneath the sink. Her ass was raised into the air, and he could have sworn he saw her shake it a bit. Seeing her game but deciding to take the bait anways, he moved stealthily into the room like a predator stalking his prey._

_Kurumu's face morphed into a shit-eating grin, knowing her plan was working as she heard his slight intake of breath and pause in his steps, especially when she may have accidently taunted him by waving her rear back and forth. As she sensed him move closer, the woman stood abruptly and began cleaning her hands with the running water. The succubus was certain she could feel the grimace he was giving off before a strong pair of arms wrapped around her midsection._

"_Were you trying to seduce me, Kurumu-chan?" he said huskily, causing her to shiver lightly in his embrace. She wiped her damp hands with a piece of paper towel before shrugging, the grin on her face never dying down._

"_Why…I don't know what you're talking about, Naruto-kun." She felt a light kiss touch her neck, causing her to purr out slightly. The blonde rubbed small circles into her toned stomach, progressively moving higher before stopping just underneath her rather large bust. His thumbs began rubbing the undersides of the breasts, causing her to mewl in pleasure at the massage. Feeling something begin to harden behind her, the seductress to begin moving her hips back and forth in a teasing manner. She heard a low growl emanate from her husband, causing the succubus to reach back and begin stroking him agonizingly slow through his pajama bottoms._

"_You're insatiable. You know that, right?" Naruto quickly reached up, grasping her breasts and cupping them in his hands. Throughout the fondling he would change pace, teasing her nipples through the fabric before returning to the whole glorious mounds. Kurumu quickened her own pace, not wanting to lose to the male. After all, she was a succubus: the monster incarnate of lust and sexual desire. _

"_You love my large tits, don't you?" she asked seductively, giving her man a squeeze. She had to bite her lip in appreciation when she felt him give her a pinch, pulling lightly on the nipples just enough to add stimulation._

_He grunted in agreement before he began nibbling on her neck as he grasped the straps holding her shirt up, pulling them from her shoulders and pulling the top of the fabric down. After a quick struggle, the blonde was finally able to pull the cloth down over her jiggling breasts, exposing them while keeping the rest of the shirt in place. The bluenette giggled at the action. "Wouldn't it have been easier to just pull upwards instead of down? Either way they come free and this way it'll be a bitch to get off."_

"_Don't care." Naruto growled back. She could feel the want rolling off of him and his scent, and it was driving her wild as her hand dipped underneath his pants to her prize. He twitched, biting her softly on the neck before kissing the spot. "No fair. You start releasing the pheromones in the smell of your arousal and I can't fight it…"_

"_You mean you want to fight against it?"_

_His response was to turn her head and capture her in an intense and passionate lip-lock. Both sides continued their ministrations before finally having to surface for air. "Never. You know I love you. The pheromones just get me in the mood quicker…"_

"_Oh, I know. Believe me, I know…and now I've finally gotten you to give it to me in the kitchen." The woman felt her wet panties drop to the floor followed by the rustling of his own clothing. She was gently pushed forward until she found herself leaning over the sink as she felt his length gently prod her, her hair both hanging down around her face and curtained around her back. She tried pushing back onto him but he held her in place, denying her of her pleasure._

"_Think of it as punishment for the pheromones." he moaned out, but the heavy breathing gave away his own want. "I still have…some semblance…of control. Unlike you"_

"_Huff…meanie." She could feel him running the tip of his penis up and down her moist lips as she mentally begged for him to enter her. Unable to take the suspense any longer, she screamed out in annoyance and mild anger. "Fuck me, dammit!" It felt good to just scream out, especially considering that the children were gone._

"_As you wish." She felt his hands massage her hips before taking a firm grasp of her figure, the feeling of his privates leaving her own as he reared back before plunging forward. As for Kurumu-_

-she woke up. Blinking stupidly, the sixteen year old succubus frowned before remembering her dream. Her face lit up in a heated blush as she realized that it was yet another dream about Naruto, and this time kids were involved along with a raunchy move in the kitchen of the house they supposedly lived in. And they were married! It was so intense compared to some of the others she had experienced. Her blush intensified as the smell of her own arousal reached her olfactory unit, causing the girl to remove the hand from her slick panties. The bluenette hadn't even realized she was unconsciously masturbating in her sleep. As her thoughts continued and the end of the dream came to her, she grabbed her pillow and began slamming her head into it, cursing the fact she had woken up right at the best part.

"Another unfinished dream about Naruto-kun?" Removing her face from the pillow, she sent a glare towards the other succubus standing in her now open doorway. Ageha walked in dressed in a robe the same color of their hair with a small frown on her face, sitting on the edge of her daughter's bed. "I know it's hard to be away from someone you care for a lot. I'm sure you'll be able to see him again soon."

"Mom! W-we're just friends! I just…miss him, is all. The occasional letter or phone call doesn't really do much for me…" The elder succubus sighed, pulling her daughter into a one armed hug as she stroked her hair.

"I know. You've heard it from him and we've heard it from Kushina: Minato has him busy a lot of the time, and it's driving both Kushina and Naruto insane. He barely has time to hang out with his friends in the village, let alone come out and visit us. Its tough, but he still finds time to check on you. That shows he still cares."

"Yeah, but…"

"No buts, young lady. You will see him again, I know you will. And when you do you can tell him how you feel about him. After all, being apart makes the heart grow fonder. And you haven't seen him in six years."

Kurumu was silent, unable to answer her mother. She didn't even feel the urge to try and correct the woman again on their relationship. "I wonder what he looks like now…" she said out loud, but it was mostly directed at herself. Ageha grinned before standing up, smoothing out the covers that had rumpled from her weight.

"I can bet you anything it's along the lines of sexy, handsome, and you'll be all over him even if he's already found himself a girlfriend and vice versa. After all he is your Destined One, is he not? I know the signs, and I hear you moaning his name in your sleep. Now get up and get ready. Aya and Chroma will be here in a bit and we're going shopping. Youkai Academy starts in a few days and we need to pick up your uniform and other items. So hop to it, missy!"

Kurumu just nodded along, partially listening to her mother before realizing the full extent of her words. "I-I don't moan anything! Don't listen!" Then she blinked, looking at the spot her mother had stood only moments before, before her eyes widened in understanding and realization as her cheeks once again took on a faint pink tinge. "Is he my Destined One…?" She had toyed with the idea for years now yet she was never able to come to a solid conclusion. Until now, when her suspicions were possibly confirmed by her mother. Moving slowly out of her bed, she headed into her bathroom to take a shower, get ready for the day, and finally relieve herself of the uncomfortable tension pooling in her lower half.

Drying off with a large towel and now feeling loads better, the girl quickly pulled on a pair of red lingerie before throwing on a pair of blue jeans and a tight black t-shirt. Like all other members of her species, Kurumu had grown by leaps and bounds over the past six years. She had grown taller, yes, as her body filled out wonderfully just as succubi were known to do. Her breasts had continued to grow like every other succubus, filling out to a high D. Her hair was still around shoulder length as she pulled it into her signature ponytail before topping it off with the headband that the blonde had bought her all those years ago. She treasured it, keeping it as a constant reminder of the grinning boy.

As she grabbed her purse and pulled on her shoes she silently vowed to see him again, even if it meant finding out where his village was located and flying there herself. She liked him. She would admit that. And if he had a girlfriend after all these years and never even told her about it, well…

There would be hell to pay.

She stomped her foot in annoanyce as she puffed her cheeks out in anger at the reclusive golden-haired male. If he was out gallivanting with other women when he could have been taking the time to come and speak to her face to face instead of through a piece of paper, well she would show him!

She'd make all the males at school fall under her sexy and seductive command! Thanks to her mom, Aya, and Chroma's help, using the fabled charm ability of the succubus was mere child's play for her. And once she had a multitude of men under her thumb, she'd march right up to Naruto and show him just what he had missed out on as he begged to be with her!

Kurumu began to laugh loudly to herself as her ideas came together, not once considering the fact that she was blowing the whole situation way out of proportion.

The days ahead would be interesting indeed.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Very good, son! You're making your old man proud!"

"Thanks, dad. It wasn't easy to figure out, but I thought I'd try it out a different way."

Minato nodded happily, raising the statistics sheet to give it a once over before rushing off to find his wife. As soon as the blonde man had closed the sliding bamboo door and was out of sight, Naruto released a tired sigh. How he hated politics! And why did he have to be so damn good at them? He would rather be out adventuring with Ero-gama again. Hell, he was sixteen. He had grown in both strength and smarts and his youki was still rising every day. He was tired of constantly being in the village, hounded by females wanting to either marry him or give them children, or just people who tried kissing his ass in general because he was the son of the village leader and next in line to rule the council.

His training trip with Jiraiya had ended three years ago after the two had made their way around countless monster villages, and he had returned home. They had visited a few succubus villages, yuki-onnas, some vampire castles, there were some merpeople underwater (that was a bit of a toughie), ghost villages, some shades, the list went on and on. They had even visited a few of their sister zoanthrope villages on goodwill missions, as they would be classified. And he loved the travel, the possible danger, the people…

And there was his friends. On several occasions, he had met children his age at the other villages and would occasionally send them letters or a phone call. He wished he could see them in person but with his dad grooming him to take over (even though that was years away) there was no time for visitations.

While he always made sure to contact the others, there was always one that he placed first: the succubus Kurumu. He wasn't sure why but she was one of the ones he missed the most. Over the years he had learned a lot through their interactions, such as Chroma was now literally her best friend in teh village. That caused him to laugh but he was happy for them, seeing as they had actually listened and took his advice. He wondered what they both looked like now…beautiful, naturally. But he hadn't seen either of them in six years so he could only imagine. Kurumu was sixteen like himself, and Chroma would be around nineteen. He let loose another depressed sigh, causing the single other occupant of the room to roll his bright green eyes in annoyance.

"Must you keep sighing so dejectedly?" he drawled in his preferred monotone voice, causing Naruto to look at him with a lazy glare.

"Be quiet, Gaara. You know this stuff bores me. Go root around in a trashcan or something." The stoic boy raised a hairless eyebrow at his friend as his dark-rimmed green eyes stared back unblinkingly.

"It bores me as well but I do not complain. And just because my animal form is a raccoon does not mean I peruse refuse cans and eat garbage." The blonde snickered, causing the redhead to form a small smile in return.

"Sure, you don't. Well, we're done for the day, Mr. 2nd-in-command. Let's go find the others and do something fun before I explode from boredom." They stood, stretching their stiff joints before heading off to tell his parents that the two were going out. Getting the okay from the two elder monsters, the duo pulled on their shoes before darting outside. Well Naruto did. Gaara just walked at his normal pace.

As the two left the clan sector of the village, they quickly found themselves heading towards the large park in the center of the town. It was where many of the teenagers would just hang out as it had large open areas and even a playground. Usually there would be races taking place, whether over the grass or through the different obstacles. Due to Naruto's animal form he loved just running through open plains but trying out parkour was pretty fun too.

In the distance he made out a few of his pals lounging around on the playground's monkey bars. Lowering himself, he began running on all fours towards the group before using his momentum to add distance to his leap. Reaching out, his hands grasped the bar at the end and while using the force, spun around until his feet landed on top of the play equipment. He let off a triumphant grin as he heard one of the boys yell out.

"You're such a damn show off, Naruto!" Inuzuka Kiba shouted at the blonde, causing the boy to stick out his tongue in a childish manner.

"You wish you could do things that like, dog breath." The hyperactive canine zoanthrope merely flipped him off while hanging upside down. It was a bit of a strange sight: a bunch of teenagers using playground equipment like they were ten years younger. It was like the boys were just a bunch of big kids.

"How did the 'meeting' go?" he heard a voice mumble out, making the blonde look down. Leaning up against one of the support poles was the black-haired procrastinator/lazy-ass Nara Shikamaru. His arms were locked behind his head as he gazed wistfully up at the slowly crawling clouds.

Making his appearance, Gaara decided to answer him. "It went well. Like usual. You would know this had you bothered to show up at all, like it is required." Shikamaru grunted, closing his eyes in response.

"Minato-sama doesn't complain. Besides, we all know I can handle my job when the time comes. You're the one with all the pressure on you, Naruto."

"Don't remind me…" he groaned. "And don't even get me started on my dad. Why is this all happeneing now when he's got a few decades left in him before he steps down? And why in the hell aren't any of you being shipped off to that school? A bunch of the older generation went along with my parents so why am I the only one being forced to go? This is bulllshit!"

Naruto paused in his rant as he felt a youki signature trying to hide itself on approach, and by the looks of it the others had as well. Shikamaru sat up a little straighter, Kiba flipped down to the earth, Gaara crossed his arms across his chest, and the last member of the group Akimichi Chouji decided to speak up and alert his friend.

"Uh, Naruto there's-" But he was already gone. Focusing youki into his legs, the boy had leaped into a nearby tree where the faint rustling of leaves was the only reminder that he was now in hiding. A few moments later, an attractive blonde in a purple dress made herself known. She slid to a halt, panting slightly from the exertion.

"Where…is he?" she gasped out, looking around for the wayward blonde. She leveled a glare at each of them, though none of the boys would answer. Fed up, she let loose an annoyed huff before smirking and strutting over to Kiba. Confused at her actions, he cocked his head to the side quizzically as her fingers cupped his chin and made him look her right in the eyes. "Well, would you like to go on a date with me instead Kiba-kun?"

The brunet's eyes widened considerably before he smirked back at her, puffing his chest out and trying to make himself look stronger. "So you finally came around, eh Ino?" The girl had a bemused look on her face but didn't answer. A small spike of youki energy made itself known to their senses when Naruto's head stuck became visible in the tree, yellow on green.

"No, Ino!" he yelled out frantically, cupping his hands around his mouth as he yelled out to her. "He's a big perverted idiot! Don't make the same mistake as others before you!" The dog zoanthrope looked clearly betrayed as Ino pointed her hand at Naruto in the shape of a gun, popping her thumb like the hammer had just fired.

"Found ya!" she chirped, running at the tree he was standing in. Naruto looked dumbfounded before his face paled slightly and he burst out of the foliage, hitting the ground and taking off at high speed with his fellow blonde hot on his heels.

"Dude…not cool…" Kiba whined, letting loose a very pitiful noise as he slowly moved away dejectedly. Gaara watched him go before giving a slight nod to the other two men and walking away towards his own house. Chouji shrugged, looking over to the other remaining male to find the Nara asleep. Again. He shook his head, standing up to leave and walking away to find something to eat. Normal sloths weren't even as lazy as Shikamaru was.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Currently, Naruto was in the shopping section of the village having narrowly dodged Ino and making her lose his trail. She wasn't a bad person, it was just the girl was damn near ruthless when trying to get him to go out on a date with her. If she would mellow out a bit he might have considered it for once.

Wiping at his sweaty brow the young zoan rested against the nearby wall, wholly unaware of the glowing pair of eyes watching his every move nor the scaly tail that was stealthily inching along the ground towards his legs. With a sudden jerk, the massive appendage wrapped around his lower half and waist before a dripping pair of fangs punctured the skin of his neck. Before he even could cry out from the intrusion, he was pulled through the darkened doorway of one of the buildings as the door slammed shut. The sound resounded over the bricks, echoing down the alley before finally losing momentum near the street.

All but one person noticed the noise and decided to investigate. Yuuhi Kurenai just so happened to be walking by when she heard the large crack of metal hitting wood as she was passing through, and with nothing else to do at the moment the woman decided to investigate. After all, there was only one doorway in this particular alley and it was always left open seeing as it was an old storage room that was now left empty.

As she drew closer, Kurenai could feel a familiar source of energy emanating from behind the wall. It was slippery and tense, and if she wasn't mistaken…was that a bit of lust growing at a large rate with every pulse it gave off? Deciding to stop whatever her friend was about to do as she had a semblance of what was about to happen behind the closed door, she kicked the door open to walk in upon a blush inducing sight.

Naruto's wrists were chained to one of the support beams of the room and his shirt was off, exposing the muscles underneath. His pants were dragged down to his ankles leaving him clad only in his boxers. In the lack of light it was hard to tell who else was in the room but if her hunch was right it was easy to guess. Especially since there was a pair of luminescent eyes glaring at her from above the reclined boy.

As she flicked the light switch and bathed the room in brightness, her red irises adjusted to the influx of illumination as the mysterious person finally came into view. Mitarashi Anko was straddling the prone boy, her elongated fangs still exposed and her eyes still glinting gold as a forked tongue would flick out from between her lips on occasion. Oh, and she was currently only dressed in her underwear as her skirt, shirt and coat were thrown away in a heap on the floor. One hand was on Naruto's chest and the other was ready to pull her bra down, but upon the newest intrusion the snake zoan hissed menacingly as she tried to make her friend leave.

Kurenai sighed, slotting a few loose bangs of her tousled black hair behind her ear as she glared at the purple-haired woman. "Anko. How many times do we have to drill it into your psyche? No more attempts at raping Naruto! And why isn't he moving or talking?"

Anko pouted as her teeth receded and her irises dulled to a chocolate brown color, before smirking tapping a finger against her cheek. "Well I remember hearing a few times that I shouldn't…but I never did hear any sort of order forbidding me. And I…may have injected him with a paralyzing toxin?" she answered very quickly, hoping the other woman would just accept it and go away. It was a long shot (a very, very long shot) but of course it wouldn't have worked. Kurenai was too noble, anyways.

"Anko!"

"He'll be fine in an hour or so, Nai-chan! Sheesh it's not like I poisoned him or anything. He just can't talk or move any limbs. I just manipulated the enzymes to dramatically slow the neurons pulsing through his arms and legs. And once the hour passed where he regained the use of his body and I already had my way with him, he'd be too entranced to even care about what I first did to him. Only what I had been doing to him after." The woman began chuckling perversely, causing Kurenai to palm her forehead with a loud smack. Releasing a deep sigh, the dark-haired beauty walked over and grabbed the other woman by the arm and pulled her off of the stunned boy and causing Anko to cry out indignantly.

"Do you really want Kushina out for your blood again? Do you even remember the last time you tried this? She always mentions she can't wait for grandkids, yes, but I'm pretty sure that doesn't mean go out and have your way with him and if you just so happen to get pregnant from your run-in, oh well." The snake zoan pouted again, letting loose an angered sigh before pulling her clothes back on. With Kurenai's help, the two were able to make Naruto presentable again (with Anko making sure to feel him up a bit) before the woman smirked and grabbed the dazed boy by the shoulders and pulled him into a kiss. Forcing her tongue into his mouth she went to town until she felt satisfied enough, releasing him from the one sided lip-lock. Wiping away the line of drool that formed a connection between their mouths, she grinned happily before throwing him on her back and keeping him in place with her own hands.

"C'mon, Nai-chan. Since you're such a spoilsport lets get him home then." Kurenai sent her a glare at the small jab but dismissed it anyways. Soon enough the trio were back at Naruto's house, entering the large and quiet abode with their paralyzed package. Five agonizingly silent minutes passed by before a laughing Anko burst out of the front door with a steaming Kushina on her heels already partially transformed.

"Anko! What did I warn y**ou about before?**" the redhead roared as red fur sprouted along her face and her nose and mouth lengthened into a snarling snout. Her eyes glowed dark purple, following every move the other woman made. Anko twisted around in the air as her legs melded together, the space between them decreasing until not even a seam was left. Tannish-brown scales sprouted over the front of her large tail and up to her chin, as darker black scales covered her backside. Dodging a clawed strike from the furious woman, the snake tapped an armored finger to her lips before grinning dangerously at her pursuer.

"**That I can give you grandbabies which involves myself sleeping with Ruto-kun?**"

"**If you ever became his wife, dammit!**"

Anko twisted around a tree, slithering up the bark to gain a height advantage. Flicking her tongue out to sense the woman's heat signature, the snake zoanthrope curled her lip up to reveal her needle sharp teeth. Reeling back, she flexed a certain muscle in her mouth to release the venom contained in the small sacs in her jaw. Rolling the collected toxin around until it was a manageable size, she spat out the small ball of potent poison at her target. Kushina roared, digging her claws deep into the ground and ripped a large chunk of it free. The orb of poison hit the grass and dirt and immediately began to melt through in a loud hiss of steam and dripping molten earth.

Enhancing her muscles with her intense youki the crimson bear spun around, adding centripal force to her attack before chucking the massive slab of earth at Anko with a throaty snarl. Said woman moved to the ground in the blink of an eye, lunging at the mammal with her teeth ready to enter her skin. Kushina barely caught the armored bullet, raking her claws along the other's chest before the two found themselves in a wrestling match.

Back at the house, Minato and Kurenai were enjoying a cup of tea as Naruto laid upon the living room couch, occasionally twitching as he slowly gained feeling back in his body. As the two made small talk and finished their drinks, they heard the occasional dull explosion of youki clashing against youki along with a few loud yells of 'cat fight!' froma few of teh gathered onlookers. Hearing that, Minato's face broke into a toothy grin as Kurenai rolled her eyes at the fact the crowd around the two combatants were most likely men. The two headed off to break up (and watch) the fight still going on between a pissed off mama-bear and a horny snake, leaving Naruto to his own devices.

As he laid there, the boy began to question why he was so against going to Youkai Academy in the first place. Compared to here, it would surely be more peaceful, no more friggin' village political work, and he wouldn't have to constantly look over his shoulder for any signs of an attack.

And as he closed his eyes and waited for the paralysis to finally wear off, all Naruto could do was imagine heading off to the school. Where no one would know him as the son of the village leader, sucking up to him or trying to seduce him. Hopefully.

He could live with that.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"**So…you're the son of Minato and Kushina eh?**"

Naruto turned his gaze to the bus driver, looking at him dryly before finally nodding and looking away. "Yup."

The bus driver chuckled before chomping down on the cigar stub in his mouth. His eyes glowed brightly from underneath his driving hat as his reflection in the rear view mirror stared at the blonde. "**I remember when your parents were students at the school. Mom was a troublemaker and dad walked the straight and narrow, so it was quite a surprise when they were married. I'll tell you what I told them on their first day: Youkai Academy can be quite a scary place. Think you're up to surviving it?**"

"Not like I really had a choice in the matter…"

The bus driver cackled again before the vehicle finally began to slow down. Coming to a stop, the bus released a hiss of steam as the door opened. Naruto quickly moved outside, brushing past the brown-haired boy that stayed quiet throughout the whole ride. As he passed him by he paused a second, inhaling a whiff of his feeble and powerless scent. '_A human? What the hell is a human doing here, if my nose isn't mistaken? Well, not my problem._'

Tensing his leg muscles, the blonde began sprinting down the path towards the school. He really wanted to find his room and just go to sleep seeing as how classes and freshman initiation didn't start until tomorrow. If he had decided to walk along the path or even stick around for a few minutes, he might have witnessed the human male be run over by a pink-haired girl riding an out-of-control bicycle.

But he didn't.

Instead, he made it to his room on the second floor of the male dorms and all but ripped his clothes off before landing on his bed and instantly falling asleep. He had the nagging feeling he would need all of the rest he could get for the upcoming school year.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"**-and so I, Tenmei Mikogami: headmaster of Youkai Academy, welcome you all to your freshman year at my school. I ask that you-**"

Blah, blah, blah. How much longer was this guy going to talk? Naruto shifted uncomfortably in his seat as he listened to the man in the priest robes continue to speak out, and he was growing seriously bored by the event. Now clad in a green jacket, dark tan pants and black dress shoes, he thought he might run into some of his acquaintances from over the years as he wandered along the school, considering a bunch of them were around his age. Alas, no luck so far in his search.

Ten minutes and many sitting positions later, the large group was finally released and asked to find and head off to their homeroom classes. Standing, the blonde stretched out his stiff back before something caught his eye: a flash of vibrant blue in the sea of green. Immediately focusing on the color, he tried to follow it but sadly the azure color was swallowed up by the crowd and disappeared before his very eyes.

Naruto scowled at being unable to follow, before turning and walking away to find his classroom. That color reminded him of Kurumu's colorful mane, but there was no way she could have actually been here, right? But then again, they were the same age…she never mentioned if she was heading to this school though…dammit. He'd have to send her a letter some time and find out. Stupid mystical shield around the school that blocked off phone calls and their signals…

He'd curse it out later, when he had the free time. First he had a class to find.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"I'm your homeroom teacher! You may call me Nekonome-sensei!" His teacher was…energetic to say the least. Clad in a long-sleeved white dress shirt and black skirt, she seemed like the epitome of a human teacher. Except for the fact that it was quite easy to tell she was a cat monster. Her hair and cat ears were the same color but did a poor attempt to hide them, especially when they wiggled about. Also, her tail would occasionally poke out from underneath her skirt and begin to wag about when she was happy. And she explained that they weren't allowed to reveal their own forms? Please.

When one unfortunate student brought those facts up, she unmercifully clawed his face up. Good thing monsters had an advanced healing ability.

'_Well, look at that. I even have the human in my class. This'll be interesting._' His internal monologue was cut short when the classroom door opened to reveal a breath-taking sight: the pinkette that had run into the human. But he was unaware of that fact. All he could see was that a beauty had just entered the room.

Wearing the generic female uniform of the school consisting of a green jacket and checkered skirt, she seemed to put all of the other females to shame. Cute, attractive face and body. Long, slender legs. A chest that wasn't too big nor too small. And all the males in the room made sure to comment on her.

"Holy cow, she's hot!"

"Amazing!"

"I think I'm in love!"

Nekonome-sensei was not amused, though. "I take it you're in my homeroom? Is there a reason you're late?" she asked sternly, causing the girl to shy away slightly.

"I'm sorry, but I got lost and couldn't find the room. It won't happen again, I promise!" she said, bowing down to the teacher. The cat youkai let out a soft mewl before answering.

"It's alright. Just take a seat so I can call attendance." The female nodded before looking around, her eyes landing on an empty seat in the back near Naruto and the human. Upon seeing the brunet, the girl positively lit up at the revelation.

"Tsukune! We're in the same class!" she leapt at the boy, tackling him to the ground in a massive hug as the other boys in the class began to grumble and make threats towards Tsukune.

"Lucky bastard!"

"That should be me!"

"Let's kick his ass!"

"H-hi, Moka-san…" the boy stuttered out, the effects of the combined bloodlust focused on him taking its toll. Tired of the interruption and not wanting to see the male be ripped apart into bloody chunks, Naruto released his own youki upon the classroom. At seeing the male populace rapidly pale and nearly wet themselves, he smirked happily before once again reigning in his overabundance of energy. The teacher pushed her glasses up farther upon the bridge of her nose, nervously clearing her throat as Moka and Tsukune plopped down into their seats; Tsukune to his diagonal right and Moka to his right.

"W-well. Heh-herm. Attendance, yes? Call out to let me know that you're here. First up, Abano Kaien."

"Here."

Naruto simply tuned her out as he patially paid attention. It would be a bit before she reached the N's, and so he did something he was unusually good at and was usually kept too busy to even attempt it: slack off.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Boy, he was so glad the first day was finally over with. All they did today was meet their teachers and learn what would be done in their classes. The only one he was really looking forward to was gym class. Physical activity for the win.

Outside, he came upon a vending machine resting up against one of the building walls. Feeling a bit parched, he decided to go ahead and buy a drink. There wasn't much of a selection, but he chose the coffee in a can. Damn that Jiraiya for introducing him to this beverage. He might just have to buy a few and put them in the mini-fridge back in his dorm room to cool down. Hot coffee was alright if you were waking up in the morning but to him, iced coffee was way better.

**KA-CHUNK**

Tssst!

He let the bitter liquid flow down his throat for a few seconds before he stopped, letting loose a content sigh. At the sound of footsteps he turned to face them only to run into the two students from before. "Ah, you're that boy from the bus and Nekonome-sensei's class. I believe your name was Naruto?"

"Yup. Namikaze-Uzumaki Naruto. And you were Aono Tsukune and Akashiya Moka, correct? Nice to meet the two of you." The boy nodded happily as the girl gave a cute little bow. Now that Naruto was meeting her face to face, he was seriously confused by what he saw. This 'Moka' had the same appearance and name as a vampire he had met years ago named Akashiya Moka, but what really confused him was that this one seemed to be the complete opposite.

While Moka 1 was cold, prideful, and bitchy like any other vampire he had ever met, Moka 2 acted sweet and lovable. Moka 1 had red slitted eyes and long silver hair where as Moka 2 had lustrous pink hair and vibrant deep green eyes. It just didn't make any sense to him.

"-uto-san. Hey, Naruto-san?"

"Wuh? Oh sorry, I was lost in my thoughts. What's up?" Moka began to fidget slightly before looking away, a light, embarrassed blush gracing her cheeks as she gathered the courage to speak.

"W-well, I was w-wondering if, since…you know, we're all in t-the…same classes and well…you really seem nice unlike the others in class and you helped when they wanted to attack Tsukune, and well…would you please be friends with us?"

Naruto merely looked at her, one of his eyebrows raised in amusement before reaching out with his forefinger arched against his thumb before gently flicking her on the forehead. She gave him a cute glare/pout combo as she rubbed at the slightly sore spot which caused him to laugh lightly. "Was that it? Of course I will. I don't know anyone else here and could always use some new friends, so why wouldn't I?"

Her face brightened considerably as Tsukune smiled at him. Naruto bought a few more cans of coffee for later before turning to the other boy, his face grim. He looked him straight in the eye with no trace of his previous mirth, causing the boy to shy away from the intense gaze. "You be extra careful, Tsukune. I know that you're…more fragile than the rest of us." The male's eyes widened considerably at that, making him think his cover had already been blown on the first day.

He laughed nervously, trying to act like nothing was wrong even though he couldn't keep his voice from stuttering. "Wh-what a-are you t-talking about, N-Naruto-san?" Naruto tapped the side of his nose twice before chuckling softly.

"The nose knows. I'm just not that big of an oblivious idiot, so I'm just warning you in advance. I may not be the only one who knows. See you later Tsukune, Moka-chan." And then he left, leaving behind a considerably flustered Aono and an oblivious Akashiya.

"Are you alright, Tsukune? What was he talking about?"

"O-oh, don't worry about it Moka-san. Just…guy talk."

"Oh…okay!" she chirped happily, buying the lie. "Although…I'm not sure why but I feel as though I've met him before. His name sounds really familiar too…but why can't I remember?" she asked herself, tapping a knuckle against her temple as the girl stood in thought.

In the shadows, a figure watched the whole proceedings before a sadistic grin settled over his features. Out of the three, that blonde was apparently the most dangerous, especially after that little stunt back in class. Upon seeing him walk away the hidden ogre straightened out his clothing before revealing himself to the boy and girl. Raising his hand in greeting, Komiya Saizo introduced himself to his target, never once removing his eyes from her gorgeous form. Oh, he couldn't wait until she was all his.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

He was growing paranoid. The whole route back to his dormitory, Naruto felt as though he was being watched even though the current area was devoid of life. At least it seemed that way. There were youki signatures around but each of them was small and insignificant. Still, the thought that he was being stalked and the stalker could just be lowering their energy level kept him on his guard.

Passing by a bench strategically placed on the path for students who decided to take a break and rest their weary legs, the boy faltered for a second before plopping down and looking towards the sky. Just as he thought. The signature stopped just inside of the nearby copse of trees, giving the culprit a perfect view of their target. In this case…

Him.

As though answering his unsaid prayer, the wind began to blow lightly through the trees and causing him to grin. Naruto inhaled a large breath through his nose, acting like he was stretching out his body at the same time. A multitude of smells attacked his nostrils, causing the zoan to overload and begin to hack and wheeze. He hadn't been expecting there to be so many different scents. He felt the unknown youki grow stronger, possibly out of concern for him. Oh well, it didn't matter: he got what he had wanted.

The calm scent of grass. The occasional tang of wild flowers along with the sweetened stench of sap running down the trunk of a tree. Normal smells you would find normally find outdoors. But there was something amiss that had caught his attention. It smelled of vanilla soap and, although quite pleasing to his nose, let him know he wasn't just imaging that he was being followed.

**Sniff**

Strange…there was another scent underlying within the first overpowering smell. It was hard to get a lock down on it as it was barely there. But-ah yes! Now it seemed familiar. It was the same feeling/type of air that enters your nostrils when you open the freezer after an extended period of time and all that frosty air hits you in the face. It was the smell of ice.

'_So either this person hangs out in a walk in freezer all day, or I have a monster with an affinity towards water and water related elements in my midst._' He looked directly towards the bushes where both the smell and energy signature were emanating from before grinning and walking away. If they had meant to harm him at all, it would have happened already. Seems like someone was just curious about the blonde.

The area was silent for two full minutes before the bushes parted and a pair of pupil-less, ice-blue eyes peered out, watching the retreating figure. The girl let loose a soft sigh, brushing some of her long purple hair out of her eyes so it wouldn't obscure her vision. It had been five years since she had last seen him in person, and Shirayuki Mizore couldn't help but begin following him after first seeing him this morning at the welcoming ceremony. Her pale skin tinged pink as a small smile crept onto her face. He had grown up so handsomely, and his senses were sharper than ever.

She remembered back when he and Jiraiya had shown up in their village. She hid behind her mother as the duo were introduced to the Snow Priestess in front of the whole village. It had been a few weeks since the incident with her 'friend' and the young girl had become a recluse, pretty much afraid to grow close to anyone in case they too rejected her. Even if all of the other kids that were around were monsters as well.

But Naruto had changed all that. He had noticed her and how she acted even shyer than what normally goes for yuki-onna, so with his sunny, care-free, and stubborn personality he attempted to befriend her. And as Mizore had found out, it was well worth it that he did.

She was quite saddened when she had learned he had to leave and move on, so with all the courage she could muster she had asked him to come back when they were older and go through a certain ceremony like she had attempted with the human boy. To say she was nervous would have been an understatement. She, in fact, had been shivering out of fear and rejection as Naruto stared blankly at her. Thinking the girl was just cold (face-palm), the zoan had readily agreed to the idea, if only to get them out of the cold and back inside of the nice and toasty house.

But Mizore didn't know that.

And Naruto had no idea what exactly he had gotten himself into. When he had asked Jiraiya, the older zoanthrope merely smirked before pulling his notebook out of thin air and writing as though his life depended on it. The blonde had just rolled his eyes and let it go, miffed that the toad hadn't even bothered to answer him.

But back to Mizore. The girl exited from the bushes, pulling stray leaves off of her body and brushing the dust from her clothes, before a sudden influx of energy from deeper inside woods caught her attention. It felt very…malevolent. It caused a small twinge of fear to creep up her spine and forced the ice-wielder to breathe in sharply. Swallowing to help wet her suddenly dry mouth, the girl headed off to the dorms with a little added speed in her steps. She really didn't want to come face to face with whatever creature was giving off that youki.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Raw, unbridled youki.

Dark and malevolent in nature.

And with the explosive force that it was being released in, it was safe to say it had been tightly constrained and just waiting to be let loose. And if he wasn't mistaken, it felt…familiar?

Naruto's head shot up as his eyes widened in familiarity. He had just finished taking a quick shower and was toweling off when his senses picked up the energy signature out in the woods. And the blonde was pretty sure that just about every single person in the school possibly felt it too.

But the one thing that stuck out was how similar it felt to someone he knew. Someone he had met years ago and never heard from again, which had truly worried him. But lo and behold, she was here. Moka…

And not the sweet and innocent one he had befriended that day, either. The one that pounded his face into the ground during their spars and then would smirk and place her foot upon the back of his head, as though he were some kind of trophy she had subdued. The one that would glare at him and then work twice as hard when he partially transformed to keep her on her toes. The one that would smile-yes, actually smile, although discreetly- when he declared that she was his friend and nothing she said would change that.

And now she suddenly showed up after missing for six years?

Only bothering to pull on a pair of clean boxers and his pajama bottoms, Naruto through open his window and leapt to the ground. As soon as he touched down, he was already sprinting towards the location. His palms and soles of his feet had grown rough pads to help grip the terrain as his claws sprouted out. He was moving on all fours, allowing him to literally grab the earth and pull forward as he ran.

She was here. Dammit, she was here! Her youki still permeated the gravesite, but the scent in the air was that of the timid other Moka. What the hell was going on? A low groan emanated from behind a broken tree, causing the blonde to move over and look. What Naruto found wasn't exactly pretty.

A still transformed Saizo was lying on the ground, barely conscious. His jaw was clearly broken, smashed in by some massive force along with both of his arms looking broken and bent. Whoever did this was not looking for subtlety. Naruto felt as though he was at an impasse. He could take the boy to the infirmary because the blonde could not in good conscious just leave him there. But Saizo had clearly stated he saw no error in raping and dominating women back in class, and once he was healed the asshole would be back to his old tricks. And if Moka was the one who had done this to him, who seemed like the obvious choice, then he would be after her as well.

Or…he could just finish him off. The world would be better off without him and besides, they were monsters. Unlike humans, killing wasn't that big of a thing to them. It was survival, just like an animal in the wild following its instincts. But he really didn't want to kill the boy when he was defenseless. He'd rather it be in battle…

Cursing himself and his damn conscience/honor, Naruto quickly grabbed the injured ogre and threw him over his shoulder before running to the infirmary. Dropping him to the ground, he quickly knocked loudly on the door and then headed back towards his room. The doctors would find him and take over from there, meaning Naruto would no longer have to worry about him.

And he didn't.

Instead, his thoughts were once again focusing on the missing vampire. As he reached his room, he vowed he would speak with the pink-haired Moka as soon as he could. Hopefully she could shed some light as to what the hell was going on, and ease his troubled mind.

He stood at the edge of his bed before listlessly falling forward onto his stomach. With a sigh, the boy made himself comfortable and closed his eyes.

**BEEP BEEP BEEP**

Naruto's fist punched out, connecting with his alarm clock before he sat up groggily. Even going to bed early, it still felt like no time had passed since he first laid down upon his mattress. Cursing lowly under his breath the blonde finished his morning rituals before pulling on his uniform, leaving the tie in a half-finished mess. It wasn't his fault the damn things were so annoying to fix.

A few days had passed and he was still uneventful in asking the girl. Leaving the building, he met up with Tsukune and an always chipper Moka. He wanted to pull her off to the side right then and there but he was unsure how he would word it. 'Moka, so I was just wondering but are there two of you, except one is actually a frigid bitch most of the time?' Yeah, that didn't really seem like a conversation starter. Plus, Tsukune was always around which slightly annoyed the boy. Sure, he was alright. The problem was he was always in the vicinity of the pink-haired girl, and he gave off the same feelings of her fan-boys except more toned down. Naruto knew that if he tried to get the girl alone, Tsukune and possibly some other boys would stay close by and maybe even overhear their conversation and he didn't want to give away her monster form if she hadn't already.

Shaking his head, he decided he'd just talk with her after class ended for the day. Taking his seat at the back of the classroom, he dropped his chin onto the hard wood of the desk and waited for things to get started.

Time passed by slowly, as it always would when a person was waiting for something. A watched kettle never boils, as they say. But before he knew it, it was time for Phys. Ed. Naruto grinned as he entered the gymnasium. At least he could get some of his frustrations out now.

The name of the game was dodgeball, causing his grin to stretch impossibly wider. The teams were divided up by last names A-L and M-Z which forced them to be roughly even on both sides. He began stretching his hamstrings, knowing there would be a whole lot of movement involved and a pulled hammy was always uncomfortable.

As soon as the teacher blew the starting whistle all hell broke loose. Students rushed the middle of the court to grab at the large, rubber balls before leaping back either with or without their prize. Naruto, luckily, happened to obtain one of the projectiles which soon found its way spiraling into the chest of a larger student on the other side and knocking him down without anyone catching the rebound. One down heh heh heh.

It was like a mini warzone inside of teh gymnasium as students were thrown around by the powerful impacts. A few of the students were chastised by the teacher for destroying some of the balls, either from their throws or catches. The blonde was among them, but he paid it no heed. He was having too much fun.

Soon enough, it was down to two on two with both sides. Naruto was panting slightly, having to twist his body around a lot to avoid some of the opposing player's throws. He would have to come up with a plan on the fly with his teammate and-

Wha?

**WHAM**

Naruto's mind froze and his reactions slowed upon seeing who the other person on his team was. Sadly, the last male on the other side of the court used the slip up to his advantage as he threw a fastball straight at Naruto's face, connecting with his whiskered cheek and forcing his body to spin from the force.

As his momentum ceased and he hit the ground, his scrambled brain barely heard his teammate call out that she forfeited before he felt a pair of hands on his face. As he shook himself from his stupor, the partial buzzing of his hearing came slowly died out to let him hear the conversation taking place between two of the people in the room.

"-e's fine, just knocked for a loop. He's still conscious and that's what matters."

"Bu he could have some internal damage in his mind, Kotsubo-sensei!"

He groaned, causing the discussion to halt as he heard footsteps run over to him. Suddenly remembering the moments before, he shot up while wincing at the pain in his jaw. The bone was fractured, but it'd heal up quickly. A pair of troubled blue eyes, as clear and reflective as a frozen pond, stared into his deep blue own in worry.

In very, very close proximity to his face.

Naruto blinked a few times along with taking in the violet hair, modified gym uniform, and stick of a sucker protruding from the girl's mouth, and he knew that he wasn't just seeing things before. "Mizore?" The girl nodded, although it was slightly fearful. Did she blame herself for what happened?

Cracking his neck, he stood up albeit wobbly which forced the yuki-onna to appear at his side with one of his arms suddenly thrown over her shoulder. One of her hands was on his chest and the other was holding onto the opposite side of his waist. For whatever reason, she was trembling. He just didn't know it was because she was so close to his body while pretty much embracing him. Kotsubo just sighed, shaking his head as he raised his arms in defeat.

"Fine. He's your responsibility then, Shirayuki-san. Make sure he gets the infirmary." The girl nodded again and forcing the blonde out the door before he could even get a word in. Once they hit the fresh air, her pace slowed considerably as he found the girl suddenly squeezing herself closer to him as the delighted shivering continued. With an amused sigh, he smiled at her.

"So I take it you were the invisible stalker I've been sensing lately. How come you didn't ever mention you were coming to Youkai Academy?"

"Why didn't you?" she shot back in the same monotone he remembered from their youth, although he could hear the amused undertone within. Naruto chuckled which caused her to giggle in turn.

"Touché. I only found out quite recently, maybe a month or so ago. Dad just sorta slipped it into the conversation one day and it caught me unaware. How come you never revealed yourself, though? We could've hung out and caught up with each other. You know, actually talk face to face for once."

Mizore seemed to deflate slightly as she took the time to choose her words. When she finally did speak, her voice was softer than normal. "You were usually with that pink-haired girl and the brown-haired boy…"

"Still very shy, huh?" She didn't answer him but he knew that he was right on the mark. "Mizore-chan. I've known you longer than them. You were my friend first before them. Did you really think I would just blow you off?" The two stopped a few feet from the school's hospital, resting in the shade of the nearby tree. The girl twisted, pulling him into a hug which he returned and causing her to release a sigh of contentment as her face blossomed into a red hue.

"I know you wouldn't. But…it's in my nature to hide." As her head rested on his chest, she felt it vibrate from his boisterous laughter.

"Heh…It's great to see you again, Mizore-chan. The longer hair looks nice too."

"Thank you…and thank you for understanding. You're my only friend…" She felt him tense up as she finished her sentence, before pushing her back slightly and holding her by the shoulders. Once again their eyes locked as Naruto stared her down.

"You mean I'm one of you friends, right?" The female monster looked away, once again not bothering to answer him. Naruto growled at her lack of action, causing her to frown. "Not one of them bothered to even try and befriend you after I left? I thought I got through to them but apparently the sheet of ice where their brain should have been was too thick!"

"Naruto-kun, please! Calm down! I-I'm fine with it…after all, I had mother and now I have you again." She smiled at him but it appeared saddened, causing him to unintentionally frown.

"Yeah but I can't always be there for you as we've seen. I'm sorry; you must have been really lonely, huh?" His voice became softer near the end as he gazed fondly at the girl, saddened by what he had learned. "And yeah, you have me now. Come on, the last class of the day should be about halfway over now and my jaws already fixed itself. Let's just go back and change, and then we can skip the rest. I'm getting hungry." As if right on cue his stomach gurgled in agreement, breaking the funk that had settled in the air and causing them both to laugh. Mizore was truly smiling now, and that's what mattered to him.

The two spent a few hours together, getting reacquainted and merely talking about the past five years. She was now clad in the school skirt with striped stockings on her legs, but instead of the green jacket she wore a shoulder-less white sweatshirt with a black tank top underneath. Lastly, she had a rather long belt looped around her waist that extended down to her leg, wrapping around it and hooking in place.

Mizore sadly didn't have much to say about her life. She trained with her powers and either spent much of her time with her mother, or out by herself. She was much more interested in hearing about Naruto's adventures. Although when it came to him telling her about his hectic lifestyle back at the village due to not only the political work but rabid females as well, it literally began to snow from the influx of youki she was releasing.

Her hands changed into claws of ice as her hair became as translucent as her element before she began to walk away. When he asked her where she was going, she simply replied "To kill all of your stalkers. Only I can do that." Unsure of how he should respond to that, he caught up to her before finally being able to pacify the irate yuki-onna.

"Well, it's starting to get late…I guess I should head back to my room."

"Do you want me to walk with you?" Mizore smiled cutely but shook her head at the request before looking at him with a light blush on her cheeks.

"Thank you for offering, but I'll be alright. I'll see you later?"

He nodded before answering "Of course. And I know it will probably be tough, but could you try to make some other friends. For me? It'll be good for you." With a smile and a small wave, she quickly moved around the corner and out of his view. Naruto let loose another amused chuckle before turning on his heel and walking away towards the male dorm.

He began to whistle as he rested his arms behind his head, unaware of the shock of purple hair peaking out from behind the wall she had just moved past. Just because Mizore said she was heading to her room, didn't mean she wouldn't get in some quality peeping time. As she stealthily moved forward into the shadows to follow her target, her hands grasped at her chest as she released another lovelorn sigh. She would try what he had asked…for him at least.

A large burst of angered youki exploded into the air, and Naruto was already dashing in its direction. It was the same massive energy he had sensed last time, and the speedy zoanthrope would be damned if he missed it this time. The question was, who or what was it focused on this time?

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**20 minutes earlier**

Kurumu's plan was coming together perfectly. Now dressed in the school skirt and knee high baggy socks, a yellow vest that hugged her curves as well as a white long-sleeved undershirt, she had corralled most of the males at the school under her charm technique but there was a minor snag in her musings: Akashiya Moka. She was possibly the hottest girl at the school, second to her. But everyone still flocked to her instead! So after confronting the pinkette in a crowded hallway and charming Tsukune into hurting her feelings, she took the dazed boy off to the infirmary and away from her self-proclaimed rival.

Tsukune was Moka's closest friend here from what the succubus had learned, so turning the male against her was mere child's play. And it was so exhilarating when she made the meek girl cry! In fact, it caused Kurumu to slip up her transformation and make her tail slip out from underneath her skirt and wag in happiness, thumping against the sheets of the medical bed in a constant tempo.

'_And now I just have to make Tsukune my permanent slave and I'll win completely! I'd rather not give away my first kiss like this, but…_' Kurumu clenched her fist in determination before looking at the perturbed boy sitting upon the cot. '_I'd rather kiss Naruto-kun…but this is for my plan! Besides, he's probably kissed plenty of girls anyways! Well, I'll show him!_' As a small blush grew upon her face, she shyly looked over at Tsukune. He looked back, blinking owlishly at the cute look upon her face.

His eyes widened to massive proportions when he suddenly found himself flush up against Kurumu's massive chest. He truly didn't know what to do in this situation. On one hand, a hot girl was rubbing her breasts against him and holy cow were they soft. On the other hand he just had a fight with Moka and he wanted to seek her out and apologize, even if he wasn't himself at the time.

"You're feeling sad, aren't you Tsukune-kun? Well…Kurumu will make you feel better…" Releasing him from her hold, the succubus pushed him down as she seductively crawled towards him until she was straddling his waist. She tenderly grasped his face, her lip trembling as she willed herself closer.

'_Once I kiss him and make him mine, my revenge against Moka will be complete. But…_' She really didn't want to kiss him. Internally shaking her head, the girl chastised herself. NO! It was for the greater good. She could feel Tsukune trembling underneath her as he was still charmed, and she took that as a sign that he too was nervous about the encounter.

"W...w-wait…"

Kurumu let loose a minor squeak as she was pulled forward into his embrace. She had closed her eyes, thinking he was taking the initiative and waited for the kiss to happen. Yet there was no pressure on her lips, no moistness from their close encounter. Opening her violet orbs, the girl found herself staring at his pillow as he held her against him.

"I'm…sorry. But I can't. I can't do this, Kurumu…"

"W-what? Why? Do you hate me? Is that why you resist?" Somehow, he had broken her charm spell and yet still hugged her in spite of that. And Kurumu knew exactly what his reason was even though she asked him repeatedly.

Moka.

That fucking bitch was screwing everything up! Things were supposed to be simple! "And after all I did for you! Some which was even embarrassing for me!" Tsukune watched in horror as she clutched wildly at her head in denial before a pair of wings burst forth from the back of her sweater. Ever since Naruto had left, the busty girl had never lost at anything. Six years of perfection! And now this whole idea of hers was going to hell!

As her tail appeared and ears lengthened, she pointed her claws at the terrified boy before jumping into the air and getting ready to drop his head from its preferred spot on his shoulders. "I'm going to destroy everything that has to do with her!" she screeched, dive-bombing the boy who was so stunned he didn't even think to dodge.

"Stop!"

The Kurono girl suddenly found herself unintentionally flying out of the nearby window in a shower of glass as Moka appeared, using her monstrous strength to swiftly push the girl away from her friend. The timid vampire and the scared boy rushed outside to confront her before Tsukune pulled off Moka's rosary. Right before Kurumu's nails sliced through their waiting flesh, she was blown back by the release of the girl's pent up youki that was now pillaring into the sky.

She grew a few inches taller as her curves seemed to grow, well, curvier. Her hair faded from its vibrant pink into a metallic silver as her expressive green eyes bled crimson, the pupils tightly constricting until the back dots were slit in appearance. Moka grinned, causing her now longer canines to glint in the fading light. Her eyes settled on the perturbed Kurumu, her youki energy rising in a silent challenge.

The bluenette stared back angrily as her wings flared to their full wingspan. "Don't mess with me! There's no way I can lose! I was so close to breaking you, and this is just a minor setback! I won't let you get away with this!" Dipping her wings, Kurumu began her freefall descent at the vampiric Moka in an attempt to slash up her accursed pretty face.

"**You won't let me? Tch…**" The silver-haired girl tensed as she raised her hand in a beckoning motion, further inciting her opponent's rage. "**Know your place.**" Kurumu gasped as Moka suddenly disappeared from her vision only to reappear behind her with a hand firmly grasping her tail. With a mighty yank and a scream of pain from the succubus, the girl was slammed into the ground which caused the earth to buckle and crater underneath from the power. Blood and spittle were forced from her mouth as she laid there in shock from the sudden assault.

"**Be quiet. Was that too much for you, even though it was such a straightforward attack?**"She drew closer, causing the seducer to shiver in fear. With every step, the immortal's energy scaled higher as she popped the digits of her fingers in anxiousness. "**Perhaps I should separate you from those wings you're so proud of…**"

"No!"

A cloud of dust suddenly obscured her vision, causing the mighty monster to shield her eyes from the irritants. When it finally settled, she found herself staring at a blonde man holding the pitiful succubus in his arms as she too gazed up at him in wonder. He looked from the injured succubus in his grasp to the curious vampire in front of him before he sighed. Suddenly, Moka found herself under the direct pressure of another intense youki that felt similar to something from her past as the blonde in front of her's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"It's been years since I last saw both of you…and when I do fin**ally see you again, you both are trying to kill each other? Not much of a reunion**." As he spoke, his solid blue eyes twitched before exploding into a golden hue. With every word, they could feel the anger rolling off of him in waves. In fact, some tannish-yellow fur was beginning to cover his face at the temples as the whisker marks on his cheeks grew rougher. Wait, whisker marks? Only one person she knew had those.

"N-Naruto?" Kurumu asked weakly as one of her hands grazed his cheek. He looked down at her before smiling, his fangs gleaming brightly as he laughed.

"**Took you long enough to figure it out.**"

All of her pain was forgotten as she jumped him right then and there. She was just so happy to finally see him again, even if he was pissed at her. She grasped his head tightly as she began nuzzling up to him, tears falling from her eyes from the joy she was feeling. Her whole plan to convert all of the males in school into her own harem was swiftly demolished as she held the man she had missed for six long years. Kurumu felt his youki weaken and then vanish as he hugged her back, sighing again into the embrace.

"At least my questions have been answered now. I had a feeling you were going here, but I was unsure and could never find you." His now azure eyes traveled back to Moka, who stood there impatiently as the two embraced with her hands on her hips. "And I was wondering why in the hell there was another girl here at school with your name and exact physical characteristics but different features and, well, now I know why." he shot at her, his eyes drifting to the cross still clutched in the Tsukune's hand.

"**Do I know you? And why do you interfere in our fight? I should kill you for becoming involved like you did.**" she spat out hotly, her energy beginning to rise again at the blonde annoyance before her.

Naruto let his features turn feral again as he matched her energy output, surprising the girl at how easily he did so. "**I'd like to see you try it, Moka-chan. Besides, how can you forget your friend? That hurts, y'know. I told you once before, no matter how many times you deny it I will always call you my friend and nothing you could say would change that factor.**" He growled out, his energy rising just a bit higher than hers as Kurumu snuggled closer into his arms, still oblivious and happy to finally be there with him again.

Moka's own eyes turned distant and glassy as though she was lost in her memories, his words triggering something deep inside of her as they ripped through her forced amnesia. "**I…do remember. You were…that annoying zoanthrope…Naruto. We always fought…and I could never wipe that damnable grin off of your face!**" She stomped over to the boy, ready to rip him apart as he was once again sporting the very smile she was remembering.

But then she stopped.

A small smile quirked its way up her lips as she looked at the still grinning blonde, causing her to look away and sigh lest anyone see her acting 'soft'. "**It is…good to see you again as well, Namikaze-Uzumaki-san.**"

"**Whoawhoawhoawhoawhoa. Timeout. Hold up. Rewind.**" He even made the T handsign, placing one clawed hand on top of the other. "**Namikaze-Uzumaki-san? What the hell is up with that? What's my name, Moka?**"

"**Namikaze-Uzumaki Naruto, if i'm remembering that right.**"

"**And what did you used to call me?**"

"**Naruto-san.**"

"**Close enough. But unlike what you seemingly remember, I did in fact hear what you called me on the day I left. I will get you to say it again. That's a damn promise.**" Moka's glare turned murderous at his tone as the faintest of blushes sprinkled her cheeks, as she too now apparently remembered that day. She had thought that she whispered it so lowly that no one else could hear it, even with their enhanced hearing. Damn him!

Tsukune, completely forgotten as he was slack-jawed by the immediate and interesting turn of events, swallowed heavily before butting into the conversation. "Um…what did Moka-san say?" he asked out of curiosity, feeling a pang of jealousy at the fact that this blonde guy knew both Moka and Kurumu from long ago. He was completely unaware of a third beauty kneeling off in the bushes, doing her damned best to keep her ire and youki in check as she watched that blue-haired bimbo cuddle with Naruto.

He quickly blanched and looked away as the vampiress was suddenly right in his face, her nostrils flaring in anger as she forcibly tugged the rosario out of his fingers. "**It need not concern you, fool. Stay out of business you have no part in and that no one should ever speak of!**" At that, she clipped the hunk of metal back onto her leather choker before feeling faint as the holy item drained her of her potent energy. Her whole visage returned to that of the bubbly outer Moka, causing Naruto to nod in understanding as she fell into the human's waiting arms.

"Now that really explains why there were two Mokas." he mentioned causally, once again back in his human form. He looked down at the content girl in his arms, brushing away the stray track marks of the tears she had shed. Apparently, she had fallen asleep standing up, causing him to look over at Tsukune in confusion. "Uh…should we take them to the medical center or something?"

"I…think that would be the best course of action." He replied, looking down at the unconscious pinkette in his own arms. Both males gingerly picked the two females up, carrying them off to recover at the infirmary for the night as they were discreetly trailed by a yuki-onna. Both could use a good nights rest, one out of injuries and emotional stress, the second from a fainting spell after becoming weakened.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Naruto yawned as he greeted Tsukune at the entrance of the student dorms the very next day before the two walked further inland. Soon enough the two were greeted by Moka as she pushed herself in between the two males, wrapping an arm around each of theirs as she smiled happily. "I remember things now! Not a lot, but I can remember things from when I'm the other Moka. And I remember you being my friend in my youth, Naruto-kun!"

He beamed back at her, rubbing his nose sheepishly with his free hand. "I'm glad you remember that, heh heh. I was worried when you stopped writing me back one day, and couldn't find out where you went after we learned that you had disappeared to the human world. At least now I know you're alright." She smiled happily back, releasing the boys from her grip before telling them more on what had happened to her yesterday. Both were mildly surprised but Tsukune showed it vocally. Loudly, in fact.

"What! The rosary was talking to you?" he all but screamed at her.

"Yeah. It helped us this time but…maybe the seal that it's using is starting to weaken…?" The vampire began to fidget, one of her hands coming up to her chin as she nervously tried to come up with her next sentence. "Um…if the seal is weakening and it does fail…would you two still like me?"

"OF COURSE! Even though you seem scary and suck my blood, Moka is still Moka!" Naruto simply nodded, pointing at the dark-haired boy as he agreed with his statement. The girl blushed in happiness, looking back and forth between the two and so very glad she had friends like them.

The moment was broken though when a new figure walked into their path. Kurumu smiled widely, waving to the three as she stepped closer. "Good morning!"

"Gah!" Tsukune and Moka edged away, still wary of any attacks by the girl as Naruto strolled right on up to her.

"Hiya, Kurumu-chan!" he chirped back, causing her smile to increase as well as a minor blush. A tangible scent hit his nostrils, causing the blonde's mouth to water as memories from six years ago began to surface to the forefront of his mind. "K-Kurumu-chan…is that…did you…"

"Yup!" she lifted her arms, holding up a plate of chocolate chip cookies as the boy's eyes widened hungrily. "Have some, Naruto-kun." He wasted no time, grabbing a few of the doughy treats off of the plate and chowing down. He released a pleasured sigh as the chocolately taste washed over his taste buds, causing him to grab a few more and savor them this to,e.

"I…have waited…six extremely long years for this…and it's still as damn good as it was back then." Kurumu grinned, overjoyed that he was still in love with her cooking prowess after all these years. Moka walked forward, looking between the plate of treats before gazing at the smug succubus and causing her to ask the question that was on her mind.

"Um, why are you here Kurumu?"

The busty girl tapped her cheek, her eyes darting playfully onto Naruto before heading back to look at the vampire. "Remember before when I stated that I was looking for my Destined One? Well I already had an idea as to who it was. My problem was that I hadn't seen him for awhile, so I decided to control all of those other men to make him jealous when I finally met him again. You were garnering a lot of the male attention, so you were in my way. But…now that he's here I don't have anything to worry about anymore!"

"And who is your supposed Destined One?" she asked, feeling dread at learning the prospect.

"Naruto-kun is!" Three things happened at the proclamation. One: Moka stared at her, shocked at the answer as Tsukune just stood by helplessly with wide eyes. Two: A pair of bushes near the teenagers were suddenly flash frozen in ice, though the group was too occupied to notice. And three: Naruto kept eating the cookies, oblivious to what had just transpired.

With a satisfied burp, he patted his stomach before looking at the loving succubus, unaware of what had just happened. "Wow. Those were amazing! You have got to cook for me some more, Kurumu-chan!"

She smiled sweetly, taking another good look at the boy as she was loving how he had grown up over the years before pulling him into another hug. "Of course I can. Especially when I'm your beloved wife." She added sensually, whispering closer into his ear. The blonde just nodded along, returning the hug as he mentally went over how much she had grown up since the last time he had saw her. Behind his back the girl held up a hand to the other stunned members, ticking off her fingers as she nodded her head in Naruto's direction as he spoke to her.

"Yeah sure, when you're my wife…"

3

2

1

"WAIT, WHAT?" She had no time to answer as he literally fainted on his feet in her arms. Kurumu smirked and shrugged, using her monster strength to throw the boy over her shoulder as she began to walk away with a spring in her step.

"Kurumu? Where are you going with Naruto-kun?"

"Me? I'm taking my Destined One back to my room. And when he wakes up, he'll be in for one hell of a surprise. I'll _guarantee_ it." Her voice dropped lower, taking on a pleased tone as her pace increased. Moka let loose a cry as she chased after the bluenette with Tsukune right on her heels.

"Kurumu, stop! No! Leave him alone!" Mizore silently followed the others as she stuck to the shadows, vowing to make sure the cow-chested girl did nothing to her mate. That was her job.

It was just another day in the life of Namikaze-Uzumaki Naruto.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_A/N: This will possibly be the most perverted of all of my stories and as much as I try not to be a pervert, I am a normal, hormonal male after all. And wow, my first attempt at a lemon (lime? Half a lemon? Maybe an orange or some grapes? It was one of those), even if it __was__ only a dream and never finished due to Kurumu waking up. Heh._

_I'm surprised no one commented on Kurumu's headband. I used the one she constantly wears in the anime and manga, trying to give a little back story as to how she got it. Sheesh, people! Sheesh, I say!_

_Also, there will be a chapter or so in the future that'll be nothing but a flashback, like to expand on how he met with Mizore, Moka, and anyone else if I think of others he may have met in his travels. It'll be like the first three chapters with him getting to know Kurumu. He befriended both of those girls as well, but was at first unaware of Moka having her powers sealed and sent to live with humans. _

_Some info if you're a bit confused by what's happening: Naruto is being brought up to take over for Minato when he finally steps down, leaving almost no time for his personal life. Even though that will be many years from now. He just wants him ready, and it drives Naruto and occasionally Kushina insane._

_His friends would be his close advisors and personal council, as well as the heads of their families in the village politics. _

_Kushina hates having such a large home with only three people, so she can't wait for Naruto to get married and have kids so her family would grow larger. Hell, she wouldn't care if he had multiple wives and many kids, she just wants them._

_He's still pursued by fangirls and the like that try to snag him. No, Anko isn't a fangirl but she does care for him in a way. If you think the age difference is weird, well another explanation: Zoanthropes are like the other monsters, able to live a few centuries. Even in their seventies and sixties, Tsunade and Jiraiya would still be considered young. So yeah, it doesn't bother them too much. _

_Aliestrikehero__ – Correct. I got the idea off of Bloody Roar. I used to own BR: Primal Fury and it was all we would play when younger._

_Fettucini__ – THANK YOU! I was waiting for someone to comment on this but everyone seemed to have thought it was alright, which I find weird but whatever. It felt awkward writing it out but I actually have some possible facts that work with my succubus-early-puberty styled idea. In Rosario+Vampire II manga, there's a chapter where the girls are turned into little kids because of one of Yukari's inventions. They were all changed into maybe 7 or 8 year olds and yet Kurumu had the beginnings of a chest already so that gave me the idea that succubi change quite early on. Also, I think it was said in the anime that Kurumu was like a G-cup or something, or I read it some where, I don't remember. Which I feel is unlikely but if by 16 years old a succubus has that large of a chest, then I think they'd have to either develop early or inject themselves with growth hormones or something. NOW ON TO THE NEXT TOPIC, PLEASE!_

_reven228__ – Sorry but no. That could have worked but I used a different series to come up with the zoan idea._


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: You should really know by now that I don't own neither Naruto nor Rosario+Vampire

_**Scyth3**__- Got it in one._

_**Naruto fnatc**__- One Piece? Oh so close, but I clearly got that from the fighting franchise known as Bloody Roar. One Piece isn't the only thing out their entailing zoanthropes._

**Chapter 5**:

Warmth.

He felt warm surrounding his body, making him instinctively curl closer to the object he was cuddling. Something rubbed against his nose; tickling the cartilage and making him nuzzle his cheek against the softness that was his pillow. A sigh of contentment was released, the feeling reminding his half-awake brain of days long past. Not since he was a small child snuggling against his mother did he feel this secure.

And then he noticed his pillow was slowly yet steadily rising and falling. Curious now, he lightly rubbed his nose against the fabric of whatever pillow he was lying against. It was still quite soft, except for the small piece that felt partially stiff against his face. One more motion of his head and he realized the texture changed from silky over to soft after a certain degree. Was his pillow always this strange? The boy snorted slightly, expelling a small gust of air from his nostrils that wafted against his cushion.

And then the padding giggled.

At that moment, Naruto knew he was not alone in his bed.

On reflex he instantly moved to make as much room as he could between himself and the intruder. In this case, jumping straight towards the ceiling and hooking the claws of his feet and hands into the plaster. Now hanging upside down, he was able to get a clear (yet awkward) view of his mystery guest. Blue hair. Sultry smile. Large assets barely covered by the lacy black-ahem. No time to be admiring the view now. Growling to himself, the blonde zoan decided to greet his guest.

"Kurumu…how the hell did you get into my room? Again?"

Arching an eyebrow the succubus quickly pointed towards his open window, the action causing her barely restrained breasts to jiggle. '_How do I always forget to close that damn thing? This is like the fourth time this has happened…that I know of._' Dropping to the floor, he shook the minor debris from his hands and placed them on his hips while looking at her expectantly.

Kurumu giggled again, covering her mouth with her hand as she looked at her friend/highly potential love interest. He jumped like a scaredy-cat and _now_ he was trying to act all non-chalant? Please.

"Well good morning to you too, Mr. Grumpy."

The boy just sighed before a small smile graced his lips. "Morning, Kurumu-chan. Not that it's not nice to see you or anything, but do you really have to keep sneaking into my room? I have a mini-heart attack every time I wake up and there's someone else in my bed with me."

"Well maybe if you didn't keep your window open all the time I wouldn't take that as an invitation in."

"…but this room gets really stuffy…" She just laughed at him again, causing Naruto to pout. She stretched, arching her back as the bones realigned themselves and made sure the male got an eyeful before she placed her chin in her hand and looked directly at him. A challenging smirk graced her own features, mirrored in her violet eyes.

"We used to sleep together before and you never complained then."

"We were ten and your mom said you didn't have any extra bedding before chucking me into your room and slamming the door shut! It wasn't all, y'know, weird back then! What would people say if they knew you were sneaking into my room in the dead of night?"

The seducer sniffed, making sure her eyes watered as the fake tears began to form. "-*sniff*-a-are you saying you d-d-don't want to -*sniff**sniff*- see me after all these years?"

"NO! I just, you, and then, well! Gah! I'm really happy to see you! This last week has been great! I just never expected you to suddenly start sneaking into my room in nothing but your-" he gulped, his eyes straying south as he took in the perfect specimen of the female form, "-your underwear. Plus…you said I was you…um, your Destined One before..."

The succubus' face instantly lit up at the title, causing him to smile partially in turn at seeing her so happy. Before he could say anything else his eyes strayed to the clock and nearly popped out of their sockets. It was **that** late already?

"We're gonna be late! Gaaaah!" He began scrambling around, grabbing up pieces of clothing and any textbooks he could find and shoved them into his bag. Kurumu watched him run around in amusement before patting the sheets next to her and giving him a sexy look.

"Well if we're going to be late then why don't the two of us just skip today and stay in bed?" she purred. He actually paused, as though considering the idea before shaking his head and finishing the job of pulling on his pants. The girl pouted angrily before getting up from her spot and retrieving her own items from their place in the corner where she had set them upon her arrival. One thing that flustered the young woman was the fact that he wasn't foaming at the mouth from seeing her so intimately or exploding in a fountain of blood from the sudden blood pressure. Did that somehow mean he was jaded from her sexiness? She had been unable to get a clear look at his boxers to see if he had at least been excited, too. Grrr, if he had somehow been with other woman since their first meeting he was going to pay dearly. And where the hell was her right sock?

Once they were both dressed the duo nearly jumped down the stairs until they reached the entrance of the dorms. There they ran into both Tsukune and Moka, who were both still waiting patiently for them to show. The pink-haired vampire gave a questioning look at the fact Kurumu had come from the male dorms but kept the query to herself. The foursome then rushed towards class, hoping that Nekonome wouldn't dock them too bad for their late arrival.

They slid in through the doors before the final bell rang, taking their seats near the back. Kurumu had gone off to her own classroom but not before smothering Naruto between her cleavage in a goodbye gesture. She may have been stuck in another homeroom but she made sure that the blonde was thinking about her in their time apart.

Naruto slumped down in his seat, barely paying attention as his name was called by the teacher. It had been a week since he had learned three of his friends from his youth and adventures were all going to Youkai Academy, and things seemed like a blur.

Mizore was always around, lurking in the most unexpected places and occasionally popping out to chat. He liked the girl and was used to her antics already, but it didn't help when she showed up at the strangest places...like his closet that one time. How did people keep appearing in his room? Bar that, she had grown up to be a beauty like her mother, cool demeanor and all, and he hoped to help break her of her crippling social shyness that plagued her since her youth.

Then there was Moka. Apparently the rosary she wore inhibited her natural powers and turned her into the sweet and lovable princess currently seated near him. The apple of the teacher's eyes and every boy's apparent fantasy. Until her jewelry was pulled free and she returned to her true form: slit crimson eyes, silver hair, and somehow her mildly generous figure was enhanced further. All of this kept you off guard…until one of her kicks pulverized your skull, of course. He hoped to speak more with the real Moka and get to know more about the pink-headed counterpart as well.

Also, while not female at all nor an acquaintance from his younger years, Tsukune was a strange one. A human in the monster realm. How he got here and his purpose, Naruto didn't know. He didn't really care, either. Many monsters were either scared of humans or hated them completely. The blonde was part of the smaller fraction that couldn't care either way. As long as he didn't do anything stupid then the zoan would just act like he was another monster going to the school.

And finally…

Kurumu.

The shy, timid, bullied girl wishing for someone to be her friend was long gone. In her place now stood a strong, confident succubus who apparently decided that he was her Destined One. The one person in the world that those of her kind would truly love with all her heart. No one else would ever elicit that emotion from the bluenette, and for him to refuse would literally break the poor girl's heart.

He couldn't do that to her and strangely enough…he was fine with that label. Keeping in touch over the years had slowly morphed their relationship from platonic friends to something more. And you know what? He wouldn't mind seeing where things went. But then again there were others he had kept in touch with that seemed to be in the same boat…

He mentally slapped himself, wondering why he was thinking so hard. Stay focused on school, at least until the final bell rang for the day.

His perverted side, awoken by Jiraiya but banished deep within the recesses of his mind, had broken through the mental barriers that kept the perverse avatar at bay upon his reunion with the Kurono girl. It had slowly gained strength with its 'boss' being pursued by the likes of Anko and Ino, but that first night upon reuniting with both Mizore and Kurumu had brought it back to life. It also didn't hurt when he woke up after fainting and found himself in his busty friend's bedroom.

Using its influence the dirty-minded consciousness manipulated the boy's thoughts into remembering that morning and that if he got together with her he would get to see what remained behind the enticing lingerie. It slipped in a few pictures of Mizore and the two Mokas too for good measure. Seeing its work taking effect, the inner pervert receded back to the darker section of the mind.

At least for now.

A tap on his shoulder brought the teenager out of his heavy fantasy, only to stare into the bright yet concerned eyes of the resident vampire. "Naruto-kun, are you alright? You spaced out for awhile there. Homeroom is over."

"Huh? O-oh, yeah. I was just thinking."

"Oh? May I ask what you were thinking about?"

He stiffened in his seat, knowing there was no way in hell he was going to tell her what he had been flitting through his mind. At least not with the human around to hear-no, bad! If the pinkette or Tsukune noticed his sudden exchange of emotions, neither one decided to comment.

"Just…school. Hey! We better hurry up! You know how Ririko-sensei is about showing up late and interrupting her beloved math class." Naruto got out of his seat, gathering the supplies scattered around the desk and headed towards the door. Moka pouted at the veiled dismissal as the human placed a hand on her shoulder. The twosome followed after him to the next class albeit at a slower pace.

"Do you think his strange behavior involves Kurumu?" she hummed, ignoring the leering eyes as they walked through the hallway. Tsukune had no definite answer so he merely shrugged.

"He does seem a little…off." he finally answered.

'_**He is not charmed, if that is your worry. He still retains his free will and as the succubus' supposed mate, she would not use such a lowbrow power to ensnare him.**_'

'_Ah! The rosary...Inner! Y-you don't think they are together, do you?_'

The disembodied voice scoffed. '_**The situation is possible. Why? It does not concern either of us.**_'

'_No…but it does if it affects his academics and make him fall behind in his studies. As his friend I couldn't let that happen._' Inner Moka scoffed again, or was it a sigh? It was actually hard to tell.

'_**Like I said, it does not concern us. Just let it be.**_' Her advice given, the personality retreated back into the limiter of her seal. Returning from the silent conversation she noticed Tsukune staring at her intensely. Both students were standing outside of the door to their next class with only a minute left to spare.

"Are you alright? You zoned out just like Naruto-san." he said worriedly. She just gave him a quick smile, poking her tongue out in embarrassment and bopping herself on top of the head.

"Yes! I'm fine. Sorry about that. We better hurry!" She grabbed his arm and tugged him into the classroom, earning a disapproving glare from the teacher as they took two of the empty seats towards the front of the room. They could almost feel Naruto's smug smile at their misfortune of being stuck so close to their strict instructor.

It wasn't that Kagome Ririko was creepy, boring, or bad at her job. No, it was that she was a little _too_ into her profession of teaching young minds the 'joys' of mathematics. And she was very forward, flirting with the males and wearing clothing that was just safe enough to not be labeled indecent.

All of the seats near her desk were filled with horny young boys hoping to ogle her, and because they took too long poor Moka was now surrounded by the sea of testosterone and hormones. Eh, Naruto was surrounded by a sea of estrogen so he supposed he was in the same situation.

Well, shit.

The brunette teacher gave the two students one last disapproving glance for their tardiness before adjusting her glasses and taking attendance. Oh well, as long as the two troublemaking students that decided to come in at the last possible second didn't disrupt her precious math formulas any longer.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Gods this was so boring!

Thankfully, class was almost over or Kurumu feared her brain would simply shut down from being bombarded with such uninteresting information. The history teacher Kenishi Fuuro must have been some sort of stone golem creature because he was just so damn bland! The rigid posture, expressionless face, low droning voice, and he never moved a muscle unless it was absolutely necessary.

It was all possible evidence to his true form but even those facts didn't change the one glaring fact that Kurumu and her classmates were still extremely bored! When the bell finally rang for lunch, the shrill noise was the savior of the masses and the stampede to the door nearly crushed a few in its wake. Luckily, the chesty girl was light on her feet and used her nimble speed to rush out first before getting stuck in the traffic jam.

And now instead of taking a left to go to the cafeteria, she spun right and moved down the hall so she could go to the dormitories. Gym class was next and all she had to do was exchange her supplies for the later classes and then kip on down to get some food.

Humming merrily to herself, Kurumu nearly floated over the warn path as she skipped to her room with her thoughts on something else besides schoolwork. Just one more push and the blonde love-interest would finally be hers fully. What underwear should she wear that night? Something daring or risqué?

Perhaps she could show up earlier, catching him off guard as Naruto returned from his shower in nothing but a towel. She herself could be in the middle of changing and when he suddenly catches her in the act, she just so happens to drop her top in surprise. He simply wouldn't be able to contain his growing lust upon seeing her nude and supple form. With a low growl he'd throw her on the bed and jump on top of her and pin the girl to the mattress.

She would try to fight back but it would all be in vain as the busty succubus finally submits, her new lover's hands roaming her body as their lips connect. His teeth nip at her throat, marking her as his and-

She let out a girlish squeal as her hands rubbed her brightly glowing cheeks which offset the normally whitish skin. She received more than a fair share of awkward looks from other students walking through the area but it didn't phase the temptress at all.

And damn it all, she made herself way too excited from that fantasy.

Well…she always could just eat something in her room and skip her next period. Kotsubo-sensei was a major pervert anyways and the only man she wanted ogling her nowadays was Naruto.

But wait!

By eating a meal in her room before she 'took care of business', she'd miss seeing him at lunch. Too many decisions for a poor love-struck succubus!

The wind slowly picked up, taking on an icy chill that was totally out of place in the humid weather. The near frost bit at exposed skin of the unfortunate teens still lagging around. Kurumu shrieked as the frigid air blew against her, freezing her limbs instantly in a twin constructs of ice.

A girl walked out slowly from behind a tree and began a slow trek forward. Her eyes were locked on Kurumu's now shivering form with unblinking twin pools of light blue. The wind caused her long purple hair to whip around but surprisingly she remained wholly unaffected by the increased drop in temperature. Who was she and what the hell was going on?

The female continued to move and before long the two were face to face. Her eye's finally moved, drifting south with a frown. She grabbed the neck opening of her unique sweatshirt and peered inside which caused her frown to increase. Circling around she flipped Kurumu's skirt, totally ignoring the cry of outrage of her captive. She then proceeded to caress and look underneath her own lower clothing before nodding in approval and moving back to the succubus' front.

"You may have the tits of a cow but my behind is curvier."

"W-what t-t-t-the hell ar-are y-y-you t-talking about!" she yelled out through chattering teeth. A jagged claw composed of ice found its way to her dainty neck as the crazy female's eyes took on a dangerous tint. Her voice, however, remained the same; cute yet monotonous.

"Stay away from Naruto. You seem to mean something to him so he would hate me if I killed you. But this is your only warning: stop smothering him and hanging off of him, stop sneaking into his room, and stop sleeping with him in his bed. If he actually enjoyed it he wouldn't freak out every time it happens. He's just too sweet to tell you off." For emphasis on the threat she pricked Kurumu's skin with the sharp point of the icicle, drawing a small bead of blood.

"H-h-ho-how do y-you-"

"Don't make me come for again, succubus. Naruto-kun is **mine**." The snow, the ice, the girl…all were suddenly gone in the blink of an eye. A rogue snow bank seemed to swoop in and swallow her up along with any other traces of the ice-using female. A yuki-onna, perhaps?

It didn't matter. Kurumu dropped to her knees now that she had nothing to lean against. Her strength left her body along with her warmth and she did what she could to breathe life back into her ice-cold limbs.

One unfortunate soul who had been buried under the sudden influx of snow looked around in a daze, unsure of what had just transpired. "What the hell just happened?" he asked aloud and to no one in particular.

It was the exact same question running endlessly through Kurumu's own thoughts.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Stab.

Lift.

Bite.

Chew.

Swallow.

Naruto may have appeared totally focused on eating his meal but if one was to look closer they would have noticed his bright blue eyes subtly looking around the cafeteria. No sign of a blue-haired missile with large boobs anywhere. He found it really strange that she hadn't shown up at all yet. For being a member of the sex that prided itself on maintaining figures and looks, Kurumu loved eating almost as much as she did cooking. For her not to show up without letting anyone know seemed rather suspicious, but then again an emergency could have popped up.

Mizore was gone too, and the ice princess's youki signature didn't appear in the general vicinity for nearly forty-five minutes. That too seemed strange. Finally sighing to himself the zoan got up and threw away his trash before turning to his other two friends.

"Hey…I'm gonna head out early. I'll see you two later on in class, Moka-chan. Tsukune." He motored his legs to the door without waiting for a response, the vampire and human watching him go. Tsukune was secretly excited that he was alone with the school's number one beauty but was able to contain the excitement. Clearing his throat, he looked at her with a small grin.

"Did that seem peculiar to you as well?"

"Yes. Do you think it involves Kurumu?"

"Yes. Should we make sure they're alright?"

'_**Stay your curiosity. Do not let such unnecessary problems drag you down!**_'

"…no. If they needed our help then one of them would have spoken with us."

"Alright. Hey, Moka-san. Did you understand problem seven in Ririko-sensei's lecture today?" Moka and Tsukune continued to act like they weren't interested in their friend's personal life, speaking about class while finishing up their own meals. Neither noticed a shadow creep out from underneath an unoccupied table and silently glide towards an open window. A small piece of ice remained on the windowsill to mark that someone had been there at all.

Naruto found himself jogging towards the dormitories, seeing that as the likeliest place to start his search. He moved to rush into the female dorms but was stopped by a firm hand gripping his green jacket. Turning, the blonde shifter caught sight of the female dorm head looking at him. She was a rather lanky woman but cripes did she have strong hands.

"Uh…hi. I'm looking for my friend who didn't show up for lunch and I figured she might be in her room and would have passed by here. Blue hair, purple hair band, yellow sweater, large chest, really cute? Any of those ringing a bell?"

"Oh, yes! Poor dearie. I had to take her to the infirmary. Strangest thing too…she was suffering from some sort of attack that left her half frozen. Thankfully she was thawed quick enough before there was any tissue damage but her body temperature was dangerously low."

All he heard was Kurumu and hospital setting. Quickly thanking the woman he dove down on all fours and raced to the medical building. Asking a few more questions, the monster was directed towards a room on the second floor. Inside he found the girl in question snuggled underneath a ton of heavy blankets situated next to a portable heater. Even though she was sweating from the temperature her body was still occasionally shivering. He too had to loosen his shirt and tie and remove his jacket, just to lower his own heat.

Who attacked her and why? What other monsters here could control ice? The only one that came to mind was Mizore…maybe she would have an idea. Naruto found himself drift towards her bedside, brushing a stray bang out of her face and eyes, the motion causing her to stir.

"Naruto?..."

"Shhh. Go back to sleep, Kurumu-chan. There's only a few classes left in the day. I'll come back to see you after so continue to rest and warm up."

"…promise?" she said almost dreamily, her eyes lidded as she stared up at him.

"Of course."

"Mmmm…'kay." Knowing he would keep his word, Kurumu drifted off back to sleep. A little color had returned to her face, offsetting the paleness she was sporting only moments ago. Putting the jacket over his shoulders he left the room, closing the wooden portal with a soft click. He never did hear the quiet mumble that escaped her lips since he was no longer in the area.

"…love you…"

The shadow hovering outside the window did, though.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"…hey, Naruto-kun…want to get something to eat after class?"

The boy grunted, flexing his abdominal muscles to initiate a sit-up. The yuki-onna was kneeling at his feet, holding the limbs down and mentally counting every time he reached his knees. She was both impressed and slightly jealous that he seemed to just throw them out with such ease.

"SWITCH!" Kotsubo yelled out, looking at his stopwatch. Naruto grunted again as he massaged his stomach and stood. The two switched positions as the girl laid on her back and crossed her arms over her chest.

"…I forgot how many you did."

"Ha, that's alright. I didn't even think to keep track either. I'll just make up some number." He got down and placed his hands on the top of her feet, doing his best not to let his eyes stray. She watched, bemused by his attempt at being a gentleman but she really didn't mind if he did. It was why she sought him out when the teacher said to choose a partner. That, and she hadn't cared to learn anyone else's name.

"Hmmm. Don't make it too high a number." she joked, giving a small smile as Kotsubo-sensei yelled for them to begin. With a small grunt the snow woman started her own set.

"As for your question…sure but I won't be there too long if that's alright. I have something to do."

Her demeanor instantly changed to something more frosty, making him feel as though he did something wrong. "I see."

"Is that alright?"

"Yes." Well that blunt answer sounded promising. "So what are you doing?" She stopped, looking between her legs to stare at him intently. Was it just him or did the room just get cooler?

"Uh…well, someone attacked my friend Kurumu-chan and I promised I'd visit her in the infirmary when classes were over."

She arched a brow, rolling the ever present lollipop around in her mouth. "Oh. That's terrible." She didn't sound very sorry. "Then you wouldn't mind if I met your friend, do you? After all, I did promise to try and meet new people."

"Well sure. I bet she'd love to meet you, too." Mizore nodded, slowly sinking back down to make it look like she was still doing her crunches before the instructor yelled at her for slacking.

"TIME!"

Naruto helped the purple-haired girl to her feet and walked over to tell Kotsubo their numbers first before the rest of the class, mostly because Mizore had latched onto his arm and led him over. "Twenty-five." she spoke before the teacher even asked. The blonde at her side snickered to himself and mumbled, looking away so no one could hear him.

"More like three." he whispered. The sharp jab of an elbow in his side only proved that Mizore had indeed heard his muttering. Clearing his throat to pretend he hadn't just been attacked, he quickly tried to think of a reasonable number that didn't seem like he was lying. "…twenty-six?"

He got another elbow to the kidney, though his friend was smiling kindly. What the hell was her problem all of a sudden?

"Ha! Good one, kid! I saw you cranking them out over there! Twenty-six? What a laugh!" Naruto stumbled as the older male clapped him on the back rather heavily, Mizore all too happy to dig her nails into his skin to keep him from tripping. "Anyways, good job today. Class is over, everyone. Go change and shower, or whatever the hell you do when you're done." His eyes seemed to linger on the girl standing at the zoan's side, flickering to their entwined limbs before turning and walking towards his office.

"So…I'll see you in a few minutes?" she nodded but didn't relinquish her hold of his forearm. "Uh, Mizore-chan. You'll have to let go."

"Why?"

"Well you're not supposed to go into the men's locker room."

"It's okay. I don't mind." How was he supposed to answer _that_? She was looking at him without blinking again too…it's like she knew that made him uncomfortable enough to just automatically listen to what she said. Wait, he knew what to say.

"You have to change too." he pointed out. The girl looked down at her own knickers covered bottom and sweatshirt covered top, which was nothing more than an extra copy of her regular clothing, and sighed, reluctantly letting go at the sight.

"I suppose."

The Namikaze-Uzumaki gave her a smile and pat on the shoulder at seeing her slightly downtrodden look before moving through the doors and changing back into his school uniform. Mizore did the same, though at a slower pace. Somehow the girl would actually step inside of her locker and then step out a moment later completely changed. No one knew how she did it so quickly and without banging into anything in the small space and none dared to ask, thinking she either would attack or merely stay silent. With the shy, quiet ones you never knew what they would do.

Instead of slipping out through the door, the girl moved towards the empty bathroom and stared into the mirror. One hand reached up and combed through her hair while the other stayed at her side. A thought struck her and she cupped her chest, trying to make them look bigger before sighing and moving her palms to cup her butt. She had to act soon or she would lose the man she had fallen for, and with her age of fertility slowly but surely approaching the yuki-onna needed to seduce him.

But if that somehow failed there was always other ways to get him.

Ducking out through the window, she saw him leaning up against the gymnasium and stealthily snuck up behind him from the side of the building and covered his eyes. "Hey there, Mizore." With a cute frown she let go and moved in front of the boy.

"You're no fun."

"When I can sense your youki and you're trying to sneak up on me from downwind it sort of takes the challenge away." That got her to roll her eyes.

"Whatever. Let's go so we don't keep your friend waiting." He may have imagined it but when she uttered the word friend it seemed almost strained. She once again latched onto his arm and this time managed to press her breasts up against him, causing the boy to blush lightly. You'd think by now he would be desensitized to those sort of situations. Somehow…no.

"U-um, anyways…are you okay, Mizore-chan?"

"Why do you ask?"

"It's just, you've been acting different lately. Others may not see it but something's bothering you. Its subtle things that give you away, like looking at your eyes. Or you start chewing on your sucker."

She actually hesitated, feeling a small heat in her chest as he spoke. He actually knew her so well that he could see differences in her physical characteristics. The emotion gave Mizore a sense of adventurousness and adrenaline, causing her to make a split second decision. In other words, dragging him away into the forest of dead trees that surrounded the school. It confused Naruto but he let her continue pulling him along, wondering where exactly they were going. Before long the two were at the edge of a cliff overlooking the sea that flowed through the dimension and exuded a sense of calm. He made a mental note to remember this spot.

"I like this spot. I stumbled across it one day and from then on…I come here to relax and think. Or get away from everyone and everything for a bit."

"It's beautiful." he murmured, sitting down on the grassy outskirts of the precipice. He felt his friend sit at his side and placed her head on his shoulder, and on some sort of instinct he wrapped an arm around her waist. "Not that I'm not enjoying this or anything but can I ask why you brought me here?"

She sighed, placing a hand on his knee and slowly drew circles with her finger. "I just wanted it to be us. We haven't spent much time together and you're always with your other friends."

"Why don't you come with me and meet them? You already said you'd meet Kurumu-chan."

"Yes. I did." There it was. That strange monotony that pervaded her voice when something was wrong. "I wanted it to only be us though. Just us…" She grabbed the hand that gripped her side and moved it south, making sure his fingers wrapped around her hip. The skin that pressed against his touch receptors felt nice, firm, smooth, and a wee bit cold.

"M-Mizore?"

"I like you, Naruto. I really do. Possibly ever since I first saw you. But when you befriended me I knew that I wanted to be a part of your life." One of her hands snaked its way to his chest and pushed him over, causing the stunned male to fall on his back. Without wasting any motion she threw her leg over his waist and straddled him, making sure to put her face as close as she could to his.

"I-uh-"

"I was so lonely, but whenever I received a letter from you it made my heart soar to know that you cared enough to remember me. It made my feelings grow stronger and when I saw that you were here at the school I knew things were in my favor. You grew up to become so handsome…tell me, have you ever had a girlfriend?"

He swallowed, wondering why there was so much saliva pooling in his mouth. "Actually, no. Um…truthfully I never had time and, well, my village sees me as some sort of prodigy or something because of my parents. Always trying to set their daughters up with me or the girls would actually stalk me. N-not that it's bad or anything, 'cause, y'know, uh…I don't mind when you do it!" he shouted out, not wanting to hurt her feelings.

"Good. If you tell me who they are I'll make sure that they stop following you. I can be very persuasive."

"No. That's, that's fine."

"Naruto. Do you like me?"

"Of course I do? Why wouldn't I?"

"Then why do you spend so much time with that fat-chested succubus? Am I not good enough?"

"Fat-chested…? Kurumu? It's the same situation as you; I haven't seen her for years and found out she was getting an education here too."

"Then **why** do you let her sleep in your bed and call you her Destined One!" She was gripping his shoulders rather tightly and had locked his lower half with her thighs. Her breathing rate was increased and the temperature in the area was lowering.

Jealousy.

It was pouring out of every fiber of her being. The purple strands of hair coating her head were stiffening and losing their opaqueness, twisting into glistening sheets of ice. Energy was radiating from her core and melding with the water molecules in the air, causing it to snow.

"You love her, don't you? She's used some sort of succubus slut charm and has been trying to get into your pants. Well don't worry…I'll protect you from that terrible girl, and the pink-headed 'innocent' vampire, and any other bitch that thinks they're good enough to be with you."

He couldn't contain the cry of pain that escaped his mouth as her claws of ice pierced each shoulder and pinned him to the earth. Her sleeves were so long and wide that he was unsure if the sharp objects were actually her hands or just something controlled by her fingers. A thin sheet of the frozen water condensed over the skin and clothing and began to encroach over his arms and neck. "M-M-Mizore, st-stop!"

"No. I'm taking you away. Mother so wishes to see you again. Don't you want to see her too?"

"Not l-l-like thi-this-s!"

He felt a drop of water hit his cheek that flash froze from the frigid air. Tears were streaming down her face but Mizore seemed to pay them no mind. "What about your promise? Meeting me in the field of shirayuki flowers? You can't if…if you're with someone else! I won't lose you like I lost _him_!" The ice crept lower, covering his chest and arms while keeping his face free.

The cold was sapping all of his heat, lowering his temperature, heartbeat, and brainwaves. He felt…sleepy. He knew he had to escape but the ground felt so comfortable all of a sudden. His bleeding shoulders didn't even hurt anymore, having gone numb already. The blood had flash-frozen, given the ice a crimson tint that glowed strangely in the light.

The blonde zoan heard her whisper. "It's alright now…you're with someone who truly loves you…"

This was it. As soon as he drifted off to sleep she would steal him away from this place and take him back home, where she would always have him and never be alone again. She would have liked to try and charm him but she had slightly panicked and let her emotions override rational thought.

Well, she'd still get what she wanted. Whisked away in the brilliant snow, like all 'unfortunate souls' who were ever 'lucky' enough to meet a yuki-onna. He'd get used to living in the snowy environment of her village…after all he did it for a few weeks already. All was fine-

-until what felt like a bomb exploded point blank in her face. The explosion broke her sharpened fingers and threw her away, rolling through the snow-covered dirt and knocking her back hard up against the tree bark. Naruto rose to his feet, youki shimmering off of his skin and into the sky and melting all the snow and ice in his immediate view.

His eyes had changed from their ocean blue to a more dangerous gold as tannish-yellow fur sprouted along his hands and neck. His wounds had unsealed and the blood was now free to drip down his arms. She noticed he was breathing heavily too.

He actually growled at her. An instinctual sense of fear clutched at her heart as the smothering sense of youki bore down on her and in response she reformed her icy fingers in case he attacked. The girl moved to slash her arm forward and shoot a mass of snow at him but a hand grabbed her wrist and began to burn. It didn't sting horribly but she still cried out as her elemental-weapon dripped away into nothingness.

"**Mizore…this is not how to start a relationship.**" She dropped to her knees as the pressure receded, feeling the strength in her legs leave. It felt like her only chance at love had melted away, just like her ice. And the feeling that Naruto would hate her now tore at her emotions, causing her to begin gently weeping into her hands.

"**Hey. Come on, do**n't cry. Please?" He too dipped down and lowered his energy, dissipating the heat and turning back fully into his human form. He pulled her close and she had no energy left to fight his embrace, so the girl continued to cry as he tried to calm her.

After what seemed like ages and her sniffling had all but stopped, Naruto felt Mizore rub her eyes on his shirt before she mumbled into his chest.

"Please…-*sniff*-be truthful…do…do you love me at all?"

He was quiet and it felt like her heart shattered even more. The silence spoke volumes and she went to move away, but he kept his hold on her. She didn't fight it. "I don't really know…I like you. I really do. I want to get to know you better first, Mizore-chan. We know each other but do we _know_ each other?…what can I do to make you smile again?"

She went to remove her lollipop but realized it was missing, probably from being thrown through the air. Grabbing him by the shirt, Mizore pulled her face up to his level. Her eyes were still shimmering with tears and he watched, mesmerized.

"This."

And then she kissed him.

Her lips were nice and cool, not freezing but still chilly to the touch. He could feel her pouring all of her feelings through her lips and he couldn't help but kiss her back as she wrapped her arms around his neck. It was his first (he didn't count Anko's rape of his mouth) so he was unsure of how exactly to do the motion, mostly just keeping his lips pressed against hers while occasionally breathing through his nose. She tasted like mint, more than likely coming from the sucker she once had in her mouth.

Then just like it began, it ended. Mizore pulled away, blushing heavily at being so bold. "That…was my first kiss…I-thank you, Naruto-kun." He nodded dreamily, feeling the lingering frost that coated his lips. It was muuuuuuch better than what the crazy snake lady did.

"So what does...I don't want to lose you either, Mizore-chan. But dad is pushing me for all that leading shit, and then I have girls chasing me everywhere I go and truthfully I don't see why. If any other guy had that problem they'd be in heaven but as for me, well, it makes me feel like I _have _to suddenly have a girlfriend or get married. Not that I don't want to but for a zoanthrope it seems pretty early on in life."

She sighed and stood, brushing off her skirt and looking towards the sky. "I still love you. That won't change. But if you're this indecisive then I guess I can't do anything about that. Kidnapping didn't work, and if that fails then there's not much else my species can do. I just…I need some time alone, I suppose. To think, and see what I really want. You know about my people…" She moved her hand towards her stomach, rubbing circles through the cloth. "…and I have about a year until it comes time to find a husband, whether I truly love him or not."

"Are we still friends, at least?"

"Yes."

"I'm glad…I'll try to figure out what I want too. I just don't want to hurt anyone."

She chuckled, shaking her head as she placed her hands inside of her sweater pocket. "No matter what, someone will be hurt. If you take too long, we'll all be hurt. I was hurt today but it helped open both our eyes a bit."

"Hey now. I was hurt too." Naruto poked at the frayed edges of his shirt where her ice had pierced through, causing both to snort. "Don't be a stranger though, in your hermitage. If you want to talk about anything or need some help, let me know okay?"

She nodded, moving closer and giving him another kiss. She lingered there before giving one last contented sigh and walking away, without looking back. She stopped at the edge of the trees, pausing in her steps. "Also…tell big boobs girl I'm sorry." He jerked, realizing that she was actually the one who attacked Kurumu. But now he knew her reasons, and seeing that Kurumu would be back to perfect health soon and she seemed to be suffering enough then there was no reason for him to pour salt in the wound.

"I will but you should also tell her yourself!" he shouted at her retreating form. Naruto watched her go before turning and looking out at the weak waves breaking against the rock face. Sighing himself, he decided it was finally time to go and visit Kurumu.

He too had a lot to think about.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Narutoooooooo! What took you so long? I've been waiting for an hour!"

"Kurumu-chan, class ended half an hour ago."

"So? I woke up early and still had to wait!"

He chuckled in his seat, gazing at her now healthy looking face. Her skin was still a bit frigid but she was sweating up a storm and complaining about how stuffy her room was now. She even made the sly remark about if he could help her shed some clothing, which he politely declined.

'_You say that now..._' she thought.

"So what held you up?" she asked, fanning herself with her hand. She noticed he twitched slightly, and that drew her attention to his shoulders. His bloody shoulders. "What happened?" she yelled out, nearly hopping out of the cot and grabbing him by the upper arm.

"I had a very enlightening talk with your attacker. Ah ah! Everything's fine now. She said she was sorry about attacking you." he said, cutting her off from shouting at him after the first sentence.

"Are you crazy? She nearly froze me to death! She's insane!"

"Kurumu. Remember when you were wishing for a friend, and then I became your friend, and then you made friends with more people after that?"

She blinked, settling back against her pillow as she thought about his random question. "Well, yeah. Sort of blunt, but yeah. But what's that got to do with this?"

"Mizore-chan had the same problem. Except after I visited her village and became her friend, she didn't continue on to the next step. No one else in her village, uh, tried to be her friend."

She calmed somewhat but still had anger in her violet eyes. Crossing her arms underneath her chest, she sat up a bit straighter. "Okay, that's pretty sad but still. She said you were hers and I won't take that lying down."

"You are laying down, Kurumu-chan." The succubus glared and hit him in the face with her pillow. "That wasn't very nice."

"Bite me. Actually…"

"_Anyways_...we talked, we fought a bit, we learned some things…we kissed."

"**What was that last part**?"

"Learned some things?" The female narrowed her eyes dangerously and the idiot felt a bead of sweat drip down his face. What the hell possessed him to say that? She seemed to buy it at least and he felt the need to drop to his knees and pray.

"So how did it end?" she finally asked. Naruto scratched at his cheek and inhaled, filling his lungs fully before slowly letting it out.

"She helped me put things into perspective."

"…that's it?"

"Yup."

Her look of incredulousness was amazing. "You're serious."

"Yeah."

"Care to elaborate?"

"Maybe." That got her to roll her eyes.

"Whatever. I'm starving, I'm sweaty, and I need some air that isn't choking me to death. Carry me back to my room." It was a demand, complete with holding her arms out expectantly.

"What? Why?"

"Punishment for being late. Now hop to it."

"_Yes, dear._" he added sarcastically. Kurumu just grinned, putting her arms around his neck as he lifted her. The kiss on the cheek was unexpected and caused his cheeks to burn lightly, getting the flying monster to giggle at his embarrassment.

"Let's just sign you out and get you back to your room."

"Can it be your room?"

"Only if you're a good girl."

"…you're joking? Are you joking? You're serious. No, it's a joke. Is it?"

Naruto just stayed silent, grinning the whole way as Kurumu did whatever she could to wheedle it out of him. Sadly, nothing worked. Oh well, that didn't matter. Especially if he stayed predictable and left his window open.

Later that night when Kurumu soared in through the open portal and dug underneath the sleeping teenager's covers, one of the actual live trees outside between the two complexes shook and lost a few leaves. A pair of hands parted the foliage as a set of eyes gazed out through the darkness and into the boy's room.

Just because Mizore had decided she needed time alone didn't mean she'd give up her stalking time. She'd still follow him around but actually stay hidden. She would just have to make sure to be extra sneaky from now on. It would be a challenge seeing as Naruto had exceptional senses, especially for an ayashi.

Besides. She couldn't let that darn succubus go any farther than cuddling. The snow woman may have gotten the first kiss but she'd be damned if she let any naughty things happen between the two when she was on a 'break'.

Even if she didn't wind up with the blonde zoanthrope currently snoozing away in his bed in the future.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Are…are you sure it's really alright, Tsukune?"

The brunet made a face before shaking his head and steeling his features. With a nod, he spoke. "Y-yeah."

"Oh, Tsukune…I'm so happy."

"Moka-san…"

They both drew closer, their heart rates increasing steadily with every step they took. Tsukune could smell the beautiful girl's perfume in the air, making his head swim slightly from the scented aroma. Their faces were nearly touching as she fluttered her eyelashes at him, and all he could think was that 'this was it'.

"It's the first time…that you yourself let me suck you blood!"

And then the vampire sunk her fangs into his neck. He yelled out, wincing at the pain even though it was expected. The girl drank her fill before pulling away, untangling herself from him and licking away the stray liquid that had dribbled down her lips.

Naruto just watched them with a bored expression, internally laughing at how the two of them had the gall to do that right in the middle of the classroom which, by the way, was still filled with other monsters that wanted to kill the poor boy for stealing away the school's proclaimed number one beauty. Then again, the weak little shits wanted to kill him too for hanging around the duo and being close to Kurumu, but they had wisely learned tangling with him was a bad choice.

Very bad.

"Oi! Get a room, you two. Sheesh! Class hasn't even started yet and there's already a show." The girl squeaked, suddenly remembering where they were and blushing a bright red. Tsukune too sported a crimson face but that just made Naruto wonder how he did that with half his life force now residing inside Moka's tummy.

"O-oh yeah well what about you and Kuru-mmph!" He felt his eye twitch as Moka called him on his own problem, Tsukune swiftly covering her mouth with his hands. Naruto moaned and ran a hand through his hair, feeling the anger rolling off some of the boys close enough to hear her talk about the busty succubus.

"That's being worked on. Things are hectic right now and I've got enough on my plate." Tsukune leaned closer, looking around before using one of his hands to shield his mouth.

"So it's true then? You two are together, or something like that? She keeps coming out of the male dorms right after you so we figured…"

"Together? Well…sort of, I guess. I am her Destined One as she says. And I do have feelings for her but then there's someone else, and I don't want to hurt Kurumu-chan but I already sort of hurt Mizore-chan and things are just…my brain hurts." It was true. Moka could have sworn she saw some smoke coming out of his ears. "School isn't helping, as it keeps tacking on homework and other things and I don't really have any time to just sit and meditate about it, ya know?"

"What, um…what about her apparently coming from your room?" That came from the long-haired pinkette, as she decided to ignore her other self as the consciousness yelled at her to leave it be. She didn't know why Inner Moka was so vehement with her orders but Outer Moka was so curious about the whole ordeal that she decided to ask anyways.

"She keeps sneaking in through my open window at night." he said lamely, getting the others to fall silent.

"Then why don't you just close your window?" The blonde fidgeted in his seat a bit before turning his head and speaking out of the side of his mouth.

"…my room gets really stuffy…" Two resounding 'thwaps' rang out through the room, courtesy of two of its inhabitants slapping their foreheads with their palms. Thankfully Nekonome-sensei finally decided to stroll in and begin class for the day, saving the boy from further possible discomfort.

"Hello, everyone! As you know, since I've been saying it every day, is that the goal of this academy is to help train monsters to seamlessly adapt with humans. So that's why today's the day you choose a club for club activities!"

Everyone looked over when they heard a crunch, only to see Naruto had slammed his head against his desk. Nekonome merely cocked her head to the side from the outburst but went on as though nothing had interrupted. She continued with her explanation, about how it would help them gain a deeper understanding of the humans and help perfect their transformations.

Until one unfortunate male opened his mouth and called out the teacher on how her own transformation was half right. She had looked down to see her tail peeking out from underneath her skirt and then proceeded to reward the boy for his observation by viciously clawing his face.

"So then everyone, please look at lots of clubs and make your choice! Oh, and don't forget about the Newspaper Club! After all, I'm the adviser for it!" With her speech finished, the cat monster urged the class out into the hallway where booths were already set up and the school population was hard at work, either running booths or wading through the throng of green jackets.

"Oh wow! Look at them all! There must be a club for everything here!"

"Tsukune, Naruto-kun! Which club do you think we should join?"

The human paused to think before snapping his fingers and raising one in triumph. "How about swimming?" he asked happily, getting a displeased look from Naruto and a worried one from Moka. '_If we join that, maybe I'll get a good look at Moka-san…_'

"Um…well, I…it's too early to decide on one already so why don't we look around!" she asked slightly timid, grabbing the boys and pulling them along. On their travels they were accosted by the photography club that tried to get Moka for their pictures (they even asked if she was willing to try nudes), the chemistry club (magical love powder? Seriously?), and about twelve others at every turn they took.

Tsukune felt frazzled by the groups wanting them to join, and Naruto was just pissed that now he had another thing to take up his time. Couldn't they have waited until he got his life back on track first? Stupid school.

"Hey, join the swim club!" The trio spun around to see a girl walking towards them flanked by other girls in swimsuits. She sported back-length turquoise hair with twin hair clips and light blue eyes, wearing a purple bikini and cloth that was tied around her shapely legs. On her feet were a pair of sandals with an ankle charm. Her bust was as big as Mizore's, maybe a bit bigger, but still smaller than Kurumu. Not that Mizore wasn't small or anything but-

Dammit, Jiriaiya. His corruption ran deep.

The girl sidled up to Tsukune, brushing her fingers underneath his chin and causing him to shiver. "The swimming club is all female so any boys that join up are sure to receive special attention!" the swimmer yelled out as she ran a hand along Naruto's cheek. That proclamation caused all the males in the immediate vicinity to yell out, expressing their wishes to join up.

Everyone was taken outside to the school's pool where the new inductees changed into spare suits. Everyone was splashing, fooling around, and generally having a good time. Tsukune watched in awe from the sidelines, formulating how swimming together would help strengthen the relationship between himself and Moka but the girl uttered six words that crushed his spirit.

"Tsukune…I don't really like swimming…"

Dejected, the brunet slunk over to one of the patio tables and sat down with a hunch. Moka took the seat across from him, clasping her fingers together on top of the table as she vigilantly watched the chlorinated water. Naruto just leaned up against the nearby chain-link fence and watched the girls frolic around.

The trio basked in the awkward silence, none feeling like talking, when a svelte voice spoke up from over the saddened boy's shoulder and caused the vampire to cringe. "What's going on over here? Come and swim with us!" Arms wrapped around Tsukune's shoulders and caused him to jump in his spot, turquoise hair entering his vision from behind.

He was yanked bodily out of his seat and systematically stripped of his clothing, causing Moka to blush and cover her eyes as he was placed into one of the club's swim trunks and dragged away. More of the swimmers moved to grab Naruto but he stopped them with a rise in his youki and a raise of his hand. "Don't even try. Water might not bug me that much but I won't get in unless I absolutely have to." The girls pouted angrily but complied, opting instead to stare at him and try and will him into getting into the pool with their powers alone.

"Oh ho, so you're the fabled Akashiya Moka right? It's also rumored that you're a vampire but, well…anyways this is a club that involves swimming. If you're too scared to get a little wet then please leave. And you-" she said, looking over at the zoanthrope. "-feel free to seek me out _personally_ if you feel that the time to cool off has arrived." The head swimmer gave Moka a cheeky smile, turning on her heel and walking away with a sway in her hips after giving the dismissal. Said girl scrunched her nose in anger before releasing a 'hmph!' and crossing her arms over her chest.

Ten minutes passed and Moka still hadn't left her spot. Naruto had commandeered Tsukune's now empty seat and amusedly watched her stew in annoyance. '_She has patience. I'll give her that…*sigh* So what the hell should __I__ do? Mizore or Kurumu? Those two are the ones I would consider...this would be so much easier if I could make some sort of copies of myself, like a ninja or something. Ha! What the hell am I thinking? That's the stupidest thing I've ever come up with!_'

Snorting quietly he looked back into the choppy water. The girl named Ichinose Tamao was leading Tsukune around like a little puppy on a leash, using every opportunity to touch him while sending smug looks towards the fuming vampire.

'_Mermaids…_' The blonde rolled his eyes. The other boys were too enamored with their good looks to notice the underlying scent of fish. It wasn't a terrible smell, but it sure gave them away. He had noticed when the girls tried to strip him. Naruto hoped that Tsukune got out soon because he sure as hell didn't want to jump in and save him from being sucked dry, and not in a good way.

The other males were watching the two play in the water and it immediately made them cry out for Tsukune's blood. Not only was he messing around with the hot captain of the swim team but he left their beautiful Moka out to dry! And no one could get close enough to save her because that crazy yellow-headed monster was sitting near her! It was so unfair! The same sort of situation was happening with the other females in the club, wishing they had gotten to Tsukune first. Couldn't things ever just be simple?

Finally, the ornery S-class couldn't take it anymore and abruptly stood, slapping her palms angrily against the table top. Her green eyes flashed dangerously as she glared at the group of swimmers milling about in the water, but none more so than her friend.

"Just stop! All you wanted to do was join so you could fool around with the girls! That's it, I'm leaving! Come on, Naruto-kun!" In her fury she grabbed him by the necktie and began to pull, dragging him with a strength that one would think they'd never find in a slim girl like her. He just let it happen, knowing it was better to just let it all play out instead of speaking up.

"No, wait! Moka-san it's all a misunderstanding! I-I just wanted to swim with you!"

She paused, giving Naruto a moment to breathe though she kept her crushing grip on his poor tie. "No, Tsukune! You're the one who doesn't understand! The truth is, I-" Whatever revelation she was about to yell out was cut off by a wave of water dousing Naruto and splashing onto her exposed arm and face. She yelled out, desperately shaking her hand to dry the liquid.

Tamao smirked, treading water as she blinked innocently up at the two. "Please don't fight, it's such a terrible thing to do. It's so childish…the most important thing to do between a man and woman is to find out whether you've stolen each other's hearts."

Moka cried out again, rushing away with her hands clutched to her chest. Tsukune yelled after her but by then she was already gone. The mermaid turned her attention towards Naruto, whose dripping hair now shadowed his eyes and away from her view. "Mmm, so the rumors were true. And what about you, Naruto-kun? You're wet now so why don't you just hop on in with the rest of us?" she purred, dragging her palm through the now placid waves.

His head snapped up to reveal a pair of intense golden eyes that actually made her wade back a pace or two. He exhaled hard through his nose, and like an exhaust port the anger faded away along with the bright yellow of his irises. "That…was a bad idea." he finally said before turning and walking after his friend.

Moka could barely stand straight, leaning against the wall of the building she had blindly ran towards. Her youki levels kept dipping and fluctuating and it was causing her pain, like someone kept shocking different body parts with a live wire.

'_**YOU FOOL! What possessed you to stand so close to something like a swimming pool! You know that water is resistant to supernatural energy and drains us of our power, rendering us vampires paralyzed! Do not let **__**our**__** body be weakened just so you can spend time with the human!**_'

'_But I'm sick of this body! Why can't I be like everyone else? I…I just want to swim with Tsukune too…why do I have to be weird?_'

"Tears don't suit you, you know." Moka sniffed, looking up at the still damp Naruto now standing in front of her. She laughed, but it was humorless. Lightning danced over her skin as her energy continued to inflict pain and Naruto watched her rub at her eye with the back of her hand.

"Oh. Naruto…I didn't know you followed me. -*sniff*- I'm sorry for running away like that."

"It's fine, you don't have to apologize to me. I know about the vampire's weakness." He sat down next to the weary girl, leaning back and resting a hand on his knee. "But you have to remember something. Tsukune's race…how much do they actually know about vampires. _Really_ know?"

"W-what do you mean?"

"Do you think he actually knew about your problem? He wouldn't have tried to get you to swim if he knew it would hurt you."

"I, I guess so…"

"Your actions were justified but you'll have to explain it to him. That Tamao girl wasn't helping things, either." She growled lightly, causing him to chuckle. "He needs to get away from them soon as well. You know that they're all mermaids, right?" Understanding appeared in her eyes as the arcs of energy snapping out her body began to diminish.

"I thought there was something off about them all! Their youki just screamed of aquatic creatures! But that means we need to get Tsukune away now!" She stood abruptly, taking off back towards the pool area. Naruto continued to sit there with his eyes closed, hoping he didn't get that wet animal smell form air drying. Even without fur, he worried it would hit him.

A weight draped across his shoulders as twin globes of softness pressed into his arm, bringing a small smile to his face. "I was wondering when you'd show up, Kurumu-chan."

"Well maybe if you didn't skip off to who knows where, I would have found you quicker. Not all of us can track people with their noses." she added, tapping him on the tip of the cartilage. He opened his eyes to see the smiling visage of the succubus glowing at him, a basket of cookies on the grass near her legs.

"So have I missed anything fun? I saw you talking with Moka...and why are your clothes wet?" she gasped suddenly, squinting her eyes at him as she poked him in the chest. "Did that Mizore girl show up again and try something?" he shook his head negatively, getting her to calm down somewhat. "Hey wait. What were you doing with Moka alone anyways? Don't tell me you were trying something with her!"

A laugh escaped from Naruto's diaphragm, deep and hearty. "No! No, no. Don't worry. I was just trying to cheer her up after a little incident at the swimming pool. Speaking of which, we need to go see if Tsukune needs any help being saved from a bunch of mermaids…maybe Moka-chan too."

"Oh...okay. We better hurry then…damn, I was hoping to steal you away. I even made cookies for the evening." He rubbed his hands together gleefully, smelling the delightful treats from the basket they rested in.

"Then we better hurry so we can get back to it sooner." he said as he stood. Kurumu made a fist and pumped it, giving the victory sign with the other. And once they were alone and he ate her cooking, she'd have him right where she wanted him.

"Come on, lazy butt! Pick up the pace!"

"Wha-hey! Don't leave me behind!" She snatched up her bundle and hopped to her feet, stepping through the courtyard as she chased after her laughing love. From atop the building they were lounging against a pair of binoculars pulled back and were set softly against the roof. Mizore picked up a pencil and began writing in a notebook titled LIFE.

She had both a wants and needs column drawn in. Under wants she had 'Naruto' and 'husband', and the same words were written under needs, though there was a question mark next to the male's name in the second half. She tapped her chin thoughtfully before penciling in a new word. Underneath the second line she added the words 'cooking skills' before grabbing the binoculars again and peering out at the swimming pool.

Let's see if there was anything else she could learn today.

By the time Naruto and Kurumu made it back to the pool, half the male population looked like they belonged in a nursing home, the mermaids were now sporting fins and tails, and Tsukune was in the grasp of the transformed Tamao. And Moka? She was halfway through a swan dive into the pool.

As she disappeared under the blue liquid, the water exploded in a storm of demonic sparks. The boy slipped out of the mermaid's grasp and tried moving towards Moka but there was some invisible force pushing him away from her spot.

"Tsukune!"

"Ah, Kurumu-san! What's going on?" The busty girl released her wings and took to the sky, circling around the spot where the pinkette had disappeared in for an aerial view.

"We need to get Moka out of the water or she'll die! Vampires can't get wet because it drains their energy!" Guilt flooded the boy's soul as he realized he had tried to force her into something that could potentially take her life. Without a second thought he pushed through the kinetic waves flowing through the pool and grabbed Moka by her waist as she floated lifelessly under the surface. One hand moved to her rosary and pulled.

**CLINK**

Once again a massive wave caused the water to explode upwards from the release of potent youki, forcing some of the mermaids out of their element and onto land. Kurumu shrieked as water doused her sweater, nearly weighing down her wings and forcing her to the ground. Naruto watched with a sigh of relief. He had been a second away from jumping in after them but the overbearing pressure touching his senses told him things would be alright now. Weakened or not, Inner Moka was more than a match for a bunch of mermaids.

He reached down and grabbed one of the nearby mermaids and lifted her by her face, channeling his energy through his palm and causing the girl to shriek as her skin began to burn. "Your first mistake was hurting Moka-chan. Your second mistake was getting her wet. But your biggest mistake..." He stopped the flow of youki, bringing the nearly unconscious girl face-to-face as steam hissed off her stinging flesh. She cracked open a bleary eye and nearly fainted on the spot by what she saw. Any self worth disappeared in a moment as the slit gold eye peered directly into her soul, causing the poor girl to feel like a small animal being stalked by a much larger, much deadlier predator. "...**your biggest mistake was getting me wet when i specifically said not to!**" he roared, flinging the girl over his shoulder and the pool fence, off somewhere into the distance.

As his fury abated, he returned to normal and realized what he did. With an awkward and embarrassed chuckle, he scratched at the nape of his neck. "Uh, heh heh...whoops..." By now, Moka's energy had stabilized, splitting the water to form a whirlpool around her as she glared at her adversary.

"**How…dare you…how dare you treat me like this!**" the silver-haired monster roared. Tamao 'tched' and snapped her webbed fingers, summoning her school mates to her aid.

"How dare I? How dare you! I was this close to eating Tsukune-kun and you had to ruin it! I'm not giving him up, especially to someone like you!" Her fellow mermaids darted and weaved around her, nearly a blur even to her enhanced vision. Moka was on her guard, her head snapping left and right as her vermillion eyes did their best to keep up.

"I don't know how strong you are and I don't care! Water is our element so don't even bother trying to fight back!"

Inner Moka closed her eyes as a smirk tugged at her lips, revealing her vampiric fangs to the world. This low-class trash seriously thought she'd give up, just like that? Preposterous. "**Hmph. Don't even make me laugh. As if I care what a **_**mermaid**_** thinks.**" The other fish monsters snarled and tried to pierce her back with their claws but the vampire jumped straight up into the air.

The other monsters shot out of the water like missiles, their sights aimed right for the girl hovering above the pool. "Too slow!" Tamao opened her mouth wide, row after row of sharp, shark-like teeth ready to bite into her flesh and drain her of her power, when her vision was cut off by a fist.

The ton of force smashed into Tamao's cheek and sent her rocketing back towards the earth. Moka spun in place, landing a hard blow against each of the mermaids and inflicting more pain than their nerves could handle. "**The air is not a mermaid's domain either! To be caught so easily…know your place!**"

The aquatic ayashi hit the pool and floated unmoving, each unconscious from the Akashiya girl's attacks. Moka herself landed on the pool's edge, panting and shaking to rid herself of the vile liquid. Tsukune rushed out of the pool and towards his friend, only to receive a low-powered yet still harsh slap across his face. Naruto winced at the sound as Kurumu landed at his side. She moved closer to gain some warmth in her dripping clothes and he complied with an arm around her shoulders.

"**You caused the other Moka to cry. She has an inferiority complex due to our body's unique composition! She blamed herself because she lacks the ability to swim! A man who cannot think of others have no right to come near me! Stay out of my sight, Aono!**" Tsukune reeled back as though he had been physically struck again, before he looked down in shame.

Moka then turned to Naruto and slapped him as well, putting enough force behind the strike to turn his head. "…ow."

Kurumu was aghast, tenderly touching at Naruto's already bruising cheek. "Moka!"

"**That was for not assisting me in my other self's time of need!**"

"You're not the only one that doesn't care for swimming! Besides, I was going to but I already knew that if I did try then you'd probably hit me anyways next time you were released! And in case you forgot, I talked her into speaking with Tsukune!" The girl looked amused before hitting across the face again.

"Ow! C'mon that was the same side! What was that one for?"

"**For thinking that I actually needed your help. And this…**"

**SLAP**

"…**was for being so indecisive in such a dire moment.**"

"OW! STOP HITTING ME DAMNIT!"

"Naruto! Oh you poor baby! Let me make it feel better for you!"

"K-Kurumu-m-mmph!"

"**And you told my other self to get a room? Hypocrites. I d not believe he can breathe in that position, either. Tsk…I'm surrounded by fools.**"

Yards away, the school's resident yuki-onna wrote another sentence in her notebook. 'Swimming = bad. Swimsuit = still good. Naruto-kun didn't mind when I got him wet. Good?'. Mizore stared at her writing for a minute before moving to the next line and putting her pencil against the paper.

'Get rid of cow-girl's chest so she can stop smothering Naruto.' Nodding once to herself she closed the paper pad and stood, cracking her neck. She had another person to speak with…

Unknown to all, from then on things at Youkai Academy would just get more intense.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_A/N: I was asked a question about the zoanthropes in this story: like what their special power was. Vampires increase their strength and durability, and werewolves have speed. So what do zoans possess? I'm going with youki manipulation. Because of their forms, they learn how to channel their energy far easier and safer than other S-classes and can use it in their attacks. When Jiraiya and Naruto used their energy to melt the snow, and then when Naruto melted Mizore's ice, that was them manipulating and overcharging their youki. Others can do that, but zoanthropes learn how to do it in a way where they aren't injured in the process._

_So we've got some MizorexNaruto and KurumuxNaruto. Woo. More to come, as well as more girls. I was thinking of adding Tamao but this is literally the only time she appears. I'll have to come up with a backstory and all that if I do. Get to working, brain o' mine._


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: You should really know by now that I don't own neither Naruto nor Rosario+Vampire

***Congrats for sticking around so far! As for your reward, Naruto's animal form will finally be revealed! Hot dog! (you tube .com/watch?v=wePMYM4av6Q for your celebratory viewing pleasure) Some have guessed it so far, and I've left a bunch of clues. So if you still have no idea…just read, dummy!**

**Also, lot's of speech in this one. Only because storyline is explained.**

**Chapter 6**:

:Three Days Later:

"Oh, cheer up! Only crabby Moka is angry at you. Lovable Moka…well okay, maybe she was a bit pissed too."

Tsukune sighed, feeling even worse than before. And Naruto wasn't helping at all with his 'inspiring' words. In fact, the boy wasn't even sure his friend was trying. But then again the blonde seemed to be off in his own little world and was only half-listening to what was being said...so all in all it probably could have been worse.

"Um…thanks…for the help?"

"It's what I do."

"Oh there you two are! Just who I wanted to see!" The two boys looked up as their homeroom teacher skipped over. "Have either of you decided which club you're going to join? Only the two of you and Moka-san have yet to turn in an application."

Naruto scratched at the back of his head, grinning sheepishly at Nekonome. "Oh, uh…no, we haven't."

"Excellent!" Wait, what? "Then why don't the two of you join the newspaper club? After all, no one joined and well, it might get shut down." Her exuberance slowly died as time wore on, causing both of them to feel sorry for the woman. A chipper voice caused them to shift their attention behind Nekonome-sensei, and it caused the already saddened boy to perk up at its familiarity.

"I'd love to join!"

"Moka-san!"

"Good morning Tsukune! Naruto-kun!" The pinkette certainly looked back to normal, and happy to boot. She skipped up to the boys and gave the teacher a small wave, before clasping her hands in front of her waist and smiling at the two.

Tsukune looked like he was about to cry. "Moka-saaaaaan! I thought you were never coming back!" She just laughed awkwardly, scratching the back of her head with the mannerism instantly making everyone think of Naruto.

"Eh heh heh heh, I, uh, I slept the whole time to regain energy."

A hand grabbed them by the shoulders, spinning the two teenagers around off balance in their spots. Their teacher jumped for joy and grabbed Naruto's hands, trying to spin him around as well but he opted to just walk in a circle around her as she hopped. "So you're all going to join, right?" she asked loudly, holding up a sign that read 'Welcome to Newspaper Club!'

"I'm joining too!" Naruto grinned at the new voice, knowing she would have appeared sooner or later. "You're all trying to leave me behind again!" Kurumu accused, jumping onto her Destined One's back and making him grab under her thighs so she wouldn't fall.

"I was actually going to look for you but I started talking with Tsukune and then Nekonome-sensei waylaid us. Buuut I guess it all worked out, eh?" The succubus just rubbed her cheek happily against his back, sighing in contentment.

"Congratulations, all! And welcome to the Newspaper Club! Meet at room 7 down the hall, there'll be a sign labeling the correct room as ours. Until then, see you tomorrow!" The cat ayashi nearly floated away in joy, her tail once again exposed and wagging like it was attached to a motor. The four stood in silence before the lone zoanthrope cleared his throat and did his best to look at the two in front of him and one hidden behind.

"So should we, like, celebrate or something? This momentous occasion of joining a club?" Warm breathe touched his ear as Kurumu leaned forward, whispering lowly so the others couldn't hear.

"I could think of a few ways to celebrate, Naruto-koi. What'cha say?" She could feel the heat emanating from his ears and his increased heart rate, and Kurumu knew she had gotten him flustered. Feeling emboldened by his response, she snaked an arm forward to grab his chest as she rubbed her own up and down his spine, causing him to shiver.

"Kurumu! Really now!" Moka admonished, unable to keep her own cheeks from pinkening at the sight. Did she really have to do that here?

"What's the matter, Moka? Jealous?"

"NO! I-I mean, that sounded mean, not that I, no, um…" Naruto laughed at her flustered face, finding it quite comical as she flailed and tried to explain. Lucky for her, he understood her stuttered mess of a speech well enough.

"I get what you mean, Moka-chan. I'm not offended at all. It's nice to have a friend whose a girl and not trying to date me for once. Ow!" He rubbed at sudden stinging sensation on his cheek where Kurumu had just harshly pulled. "Ouch, Kurumu-chan! My whiskers are sensitive! I don't mind that _you_ have feelings for me, you know that! It's still nice that I have a friend where there's nothing romantic happening!"

She scoffed, dropping to her feet and placing her arms behind her back. Slowly walking away, she peeked over her shoulder at him. "That may be, but it still sounded insulting. Now come on, you're taking me for a lovely walk around the school to make up for your callousness."

"Awwwwwwwwww…'kay…" He walked after her with his posture hunched over and arms dangling listlessly at his sides. As the succubus walked past Tsukune and Moka, she flashed them a smirk and flirty wink before regaining her stoic mask. As the two walked out of sight, the single human began to clap lightly at the display.

"Wow…that was impressive."

"She is a succubus after all. She was able to turn that situation into something favorable rather quickly, wasn't she?"

Tsukune suddenly made a noise that sounded like 'snirk' that caused his pink-haired friend to look at him. His lips were twitching as though he was trying not to laugh. Half a minute passed before he was able to calm down enough to talk without interruption.

"They're not even actually together and yet she's still got him whipped." Moka burst into giggles at the mental image of Kurumu leading around a glum looking Naruto by a leash, occasionally feeding him a snack and rubbing behind his ears. She stopped when her stomach rumbled loud enough for both to hear, causing the vampire to blush again lightly.

"Um…Tsukune? It has been a few days since I last, um…"

He sighed and tilted his head to the side, exposing the flesh of his neck to her. "Alright but just be-yow!" Teeth pierced his neck and pricked the veins within, letting her feed on his blood and causing him to flinch. The slow feeling of being drained was one he would never get used to.

'_I guess he's not the only one who's whipped…_' he thought to himself as the girl sighed happily, pulling him closer in her embrace. Oh yeah, he couldn't say no to that.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Saturday. The beginning of the weekend. And the beginning of the Newspaper Club's very first meeting. Naruto awoke to his face buried in Kurumu's chest yet again and for once he didn't jump away (they were really comfy, you know), instead rolling onto his back and looking at the ceiling. Quiet times like these he cherished dearly, letting him clear his mind and just think. And think he did.

Kurumu seemed to shake at the loss of her chest pillow before her arms whipped out and pulled herself onto his own torso. She instantly snaked her legs through his own as she nuzzled her face against his chest, drooling slightly in her slumber. Idly, he ran his fingers through her hair that was out of its signature ponytail for once and continued to ponder.

Did he enjoy this? Yes. He would admit that now. It might have happened sooner if he had known she would be there when he woke up, but the whole slipping in during the night was what had originally made him hesitate. Waking up with a beautiful woman at his side that knew she loved you, and sure as hell did her best to make you return those feelings. Well, he would say that it was obviously working.

But then there was Mizore. He hadn't seen her since the day they had kissed but he would occasionally get the feeling of being watched. He knew that it had to be her, but she had stepped up her game apparently. He couldn't sense her youki signature or even her scent whenever the feeling began. Very impressive.

He tried imagining a head of long violet hair lying at his side instead of vibrant blue and a body that was pleasantly cool to the touch instead of radiating body heat, and the young zoanthrope noticed that neither seemed out of place to him. That really didn't help him with his decision though, did it?

Naruto dreamed what his father would do. His quirks, voice, body…all were thought up instantly. The mental avatar of Minato appeared in the blonde's mind's eye giving him a thumbs up and hearty grin. '_I'm so proud of you, son! Ah, to be young again and-_' Whatever his father was going to say was cut off by a frying pain swinging down and cracking him on top of the skull, instantly disrupting the thought process in it's tracks.

His mother appeared, glaring at the space her husband had been moments before disappearing. She turned suddenly, giving her boy a sweet and motherly smile that Naruto was very familiar with. '_Pick one, Naruto-chan! But be nice and let the other one down gently…broken hearts aren't something to joke about.'_ He nodded, agreeing with the fake redhead's advice. '_And then marry her and give me grandkids to dote on! I'm not getting any younger you know! Selfish!_' She too then lost her form and disappeared.

Wow. He should have expected that…what about Jiraiya?

The leer appeared, followed by proud eyes, a cracked headband, and the tall body of the toad zoanthrope. He was one-upping Minato with both his thumbs proudly displayed in the air and the perverse looked etched across his face was hardly unexpected. '_Way to go, brat! Bagging such a-_' The boy dispelled the thought, and perhaps it was his overactive imagination still working but he thought he heard his old teacher's deepened voice cry '_awwwww!_' disappointedly before fading.

Jiraiya's response was expected as well. It wasn't exactly a good idea either, seeing as the pervert would just tell him to take all of the girls. "Stupid Ero-gama…"

"Mmmm…you say somethin'…?" He tilted his head down to look into the sleepy eyes of his bedmate. She had moved during his reverie, putting her arms behind his back and squeezing snugly. He was locked down to the mattress, and he had the sneaking suspicion it was on purpose.

"Just thinking. We have about an hour before my alarm goes off and we get ready for breakfast. You can go back to sleep if you want." Both looked over to see the time on Naruto's alarm clock but instead were staring at the clock itself. It was badly damaged, missing pieces of its outer shell and heavily bandaged with duct tape. The screen was cracked and you could barely make out the flashing numbers behind it.

"I still don't see how you always wake up with that thing. You need a new one." she added as her voice lost its sleepiness. She rubbed away the drool from her mouth followed by the small leak left on his pectoral.

"Why? If it can survive being crushed constantly then I say keep it around for now." Kurumu rolled her eyes and stretched, moving her chest along Naruto's and inadvertently hitting him in the face with her breasts when they sprang up from being held against him. She giggled as he let loose a muffled yelp before giving him a good morning smother.

"Well…I'm rather awake now…and we have an hour so…how about I help sway your thoughts?" She released his head from her bosomy grip and slid her body backwards, making sure her half-naked pelvis rested against his. "What do you say? Prove to me that you're my Destined One?" she asked sensually, slowly grinding against him. His own hands found purchase at her sides, resting on top of her hips as they adjusted themselves. The boy was nervous but the only give away was the hesitant look in his blue orbs.

And by the way things were proceeding, Kurumu could easily tell her techniques were working. "Well, well. Looks like we're not the only ones awake right now." The succubus stopped and trailed one hand down his torso and grasped at his erection through his boxers. Oh my, and what hardness it was!

Naruto gasped at her touch, swallowing heavily as he looked deeply into the girl's eyes. Kurumu was cheering in her mind as loud as she could seeing that he was allowing her to continue. As a member of the race that excelled in sex and seduction, her people were trained to pick up on a person's state of arousal and whether it was genuine or not.

Dilated pupils, increased heart and breathing rates, flushed skin, and engorgement of her favorite male organ. Oh yeah. He was ready. And she was his reason for being turned on! Her! That was quite a boost to both her feminine and succubus egos. Fuck yes.

The blonde moaned softly, his eyes locked on the cleavage she more than willingly displayed in front of his face. "Kurumu…a-ah…are you sure about this?" She nodded and leaned closer, nearly brushing her lips against his as she moved his hands slowly up her sides and onto her breasts. He sucked in a small gasp at the feel of them, the softness and firmness nearly sucking his fingers in as he gave them an experimental squeeze. Her breathy moan was all the inspiration he needed to continue kneading her large, womanly mounds. There had been chances to do these sort of things before but he was a bit of a nervous person when it came to situations like what was happening now. His _teacher_ had tried starting him early on such facts of life and it had caused the boy to grow shy in that aspect. But as long as he knew he wouldn't be punished for his actions, however...

"Let your Kurumu-chan take care of you...no one will question if we show up late for breakfast and the club doesn't start until ten." She pumped him one more time before moving to close the gap and finally kiss him, her hands moving up her back to unclasp her bra.

The cool early morning air was disrupted by an object sent hurtling through it, sailing through his still open window and striking Kurumu directly on the forehead. The force snapped her head back and caused her to roll backwards off of him and onto the bed where she lay with a dazed and disoriented look on her pretty face.

The weapon in question was a small knife with a long, thin handle. The blade was flat yet sharp, with the very tip bleeding red from being imbedded within the girl's skin. An occasional spurt of blood would spray out of the shallow wound in an almost comical fashion. Naruto immediately crawled to her side and worriedly checked her pulse. Slightly slower than normal. In his frenzied state he surmised that that clearly meant she was at death's door!

"Kurumu-chan! Are you okay? Oh geez, don't die!" He scrambled out of his bed and ran towards the small dresser, rummaging noisily around the drawers in search of any medical supplies he may have thrown in there. While that took place, Kurumu's eyes fluttered upon her return to consciousness. Her hand shakily rose up towards her forehead and grabbed the throwing blade, pulling up with a jerk that released a fresh wave of ichor.

However, the removal of the offending item allowed her youki to finally knit the skin together and fully heal the wound. Naruto kneeled by her side with a wet towel from the small kitchen area in his room and a couple band-aids. As he began dressing and cleaned her forehead, the girl glared down at the item resting in her palm and slowly chilling her hand. It was a knife, perhaps even a kunai like you would see in a ninja manga, and it was sculpted out of smooth ice. Its perfect surface was only marred by two large engravings:

**NO**

Oh, she was going to murder that ice bitch. Even Naruto seemed pretty miffed at being interrupted during such a tense session.

"I thought you said that things were okay now with your little yuki-onna stalker!"

"It…is, sorta. She's taking time to be alone and see what she herself wants. I…guess that didn't actually involve giving up on following me around?" The bluenette growled, cracking her fingers menacingly.

"Well that's just peachy! I always wanted to have a gawker when I lost my virginity. -*sigh*-…there went my first kiss too…" she finished glumly, patting her forehead to settle the wraps.

"She's not exactly trying to keep you away from me now, it seems. That's good, right? Instead, she's just making sure we don't go all the way…I guess."

"Sure. Whatever. But now she's watching both of us." Naruto shrugged as he placed the soiled towel in the clothes hamper.

"Get dressed, Ms. Grumpy. How about we go and get some breakfast now since we're both awake?"

"…and the moments ruined…fine…but will you do something for me?" she asked shyly, using her toe to dig a hole at the carpet.

"Sure."

"Will you kiss my boo-boo to make it all better?"

Naruto smiled and moved over to the girl, placing his hands on her bare shoulders as he leaned down to peck the area. Kurumu took the moment to snap her head up, grasp his face with her hands, and capture his lips in a heated kiss. His eyes widened in surprise as her mouth hungrily smashed against his own, causing him to stumble and trip backwards over his mattress with Kurumu on following closely behind.

Unlike Mizore's splendidly cool lips and sweet yet clumsy kiss, Kurumu's was passionate and heated, as though she never wanted to let go. Was this all part of some larger plan she had concocted? Well, the ice kunai probably was an unknown factor. But to use that sudden situation for her own needs…very crafty. Kurumu felt like she was in heaven as she felt him get over his shock and return the lip-lock. He still needed practice but she was more than happy to help him in that regard.

Outside, Mizore was nervous as hell. She had stopped the two from kissing and even from having sex, but then Balloon-Chest had to go and turn her bad luck around. And now she couldn't even see them at all! All the ice monster could do was sit in her hidey-hole and wait for them to appear. If nothing changed in the next minute, she was freezing his room solid from the outside in.

Reluctantly, Kurumu broke their kiss and laid her head in the crook of his neck. She inhaled deeply, taking in the natural scent wafting off of his skin. He smelled like the forest, and the sandy earth. She even dipped her tongue out and licked his cheek, causing him to quiver lightly. Satisfied for now, she gave him another deep kiss before standing and helping him up.

"She may have stopped me from getting the main prize but at least I got one of my wishes." With a wink Kurumu moved over and proceeded to get dressed. There was no point in continuing the shenanigans if they had a peeping tom who would stop them each time before things got hot and heavy. She'd just have to get him into a more private setting. Maybe her own room?

She, of course, made sure his attention was focused on her rear and backside as the bluenette wiggled into her skirt, making sure to hop repeatedly to get it just right. Stepping quickly, she moved over to the window before giving a little wave out into the courtyard. It was as if to say 'you stopped us but not for long'. Both finished dressing and getting ready for the day before Naruto shut and locked his door. Kurumu latched onto his arm smugly as they walked away.

The succubus spared a glance backwards only to see a lone eye peeking out from behind the edge of the dormitory building, looking directly at her. Kurumu smirked in challenge before leaning up and kissing his cheek.

She was ahead in the race for his heart, not having taken any sort of solitude like her rival (that she didn't actually know). She had his attention. She had his lust. And soon, she would fully have his love.

That was all that mattered.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

He must have been a masochist for constantly taking such punishment. Or maybe he really didn't mind being suffocated every day. "Kurumu, I don't believe Naruto can breathe. Again." The busty girl looked down towards the blonde currently being pressed into her chest and shrugged, sticking her tongue out playfully at the vampire.

Moka may have imagined it but it felt as though her Rosario hummed against her chest for a split second before calming down.

Naruto himself placed his hands on her upper arms and craned his neck back, freeing his head with a muffled pop and inhaling a lungful of air. His tongue darted out to wet his lips as he removed his hands. "You're gonna be the death of me." he joked with a small smile.

"Not until many, many years from now when you're old and decrepit. But what a way to go, huh?" Naruto chuckled as Tsukune reached for the door handle. As if it were on a motion sensor, the wood snapped open and a hand grabbed him by the collar and yanked him inside. The others moved in to see him sitting awkwardly in one of the seats near the teacher's desk, with Shizuka bouncing on her heels behind it.

"Welcome everyone! Thanks for joining my club!" she greeted happily as the others took their seats. "So let's begin the activities for the Youkai Academy Newspaper Club!" Tsukune looked around, noticing they were the only ones inside of the classroom. Every single other desk was unoccupied.

'_W-we're the only ones?_'

Moka timidly raised her hand, glancing at the others as she did so. "Sensei, a-are we the only ones in the club?"

"Don't be silly! There's another you haven't met yet!" A knock on the door signified someone's arrival, causing the teacher's 'ears' to perk up in her hair. "And here he is now!" she exclaimed, gesturing towards the now opening door.

It was a male with handsome features, his messy brown hair held back by a skinny hairband. He was dressed in the normal uniform of the school, opting to forgo the tie, leave the jacket open, and keeping the first couple buttons of his shirt undone. In his hands was a bouquet of pretty red roses, ready to be handed off at a moment's notice. He had the air of superiority surrounding him, and his features just screamed 'pretty-boy'.

"Sorry I'm late, and on the first day too. I'm Morioka Ginei, president of the newspaper club. Pleased to meet ya!" he greeted to no one in particular. He moved forward swiftly, almost dancing along the ground, and placed the flowers in front of the surprised Moka. "Such a beautiful new member of the Newspaper Club! Sensei told me about you!" He leaned a bit closer, causing the now embarrassed vampire to inch back. "You can call me Gin…ah, red is such a lovely color for beautiful ladies."

The older male smirked, basking in the attention he was now receiving. The rookies didn't seem like they would be too bad…there was this beautiful girl in front of him. Oh, he couldn't wait to charm her out of her shoes. And clothing and panties for that matter. Then there was the other girl, a succubus if he remembered right. Oooh, and quite top-heavy too. Big or small, he didn't care as long as he could firmly hold them. But as Gin always said, bigger breasts were always better.

Then there was the wimpy looking kid sitting next to his dear Moka-chan. Boy did he look out of place. The guy was fidgeting and sweating slightly, constantly looking over at the pinkette as she herself inched closer to him. That wouldn't do. Not at all. Gin experimentally sniffed the air, frowning as the male's scent reached his nostrils. He almost smelled like…a human.

But there couldn't be one at the academy, right?

…

…

…

NAAAAAAAAAAAH! That was the stupidest idea the young monster had ever heard! Besides, his _good_ friends at the Student Police would have taken care of such an intruder. And-wait, what was that? Gin took a few more sniffs of the room, sensing something was very, very off. He turned his attention towards the last student, the blonde one, and immediately felt his hackles raise at the sight.

The boy was sitting ramrod straight at his desk, every muscle locked as his blue eyes intensely bore down on Gin's rich brown. He was completely ignoring the girl at his side who was trying to get his attention. Gin himself felt a strange urge deep within himself to drop every rational thought and fight the boy. Fight, and kill him. But why? The only time that sort of conditioning appeared was when…no. No way. Why did it have to be **his** club?

As soon as Gin had entered the room, Naruto had smelled something foul. It wasn't as though he was giving off any sort of disgusting smell, but the molecules floating up into his nostrils were making him feel angry. Every other time he had felt like this was in the company of _those_ creatures. The technical anti-thesis to his own.

He felt his youki levels rising, mirroring the amount of energy that Gin was unconsciously putting out. The pressure in the room was slowly becoming unbearable as the two continued their stare-down before both boy's twitched and seemingly snapped.

Naruto's claws dug into his desk as he literally ripped it in half to escape, tearing through the weak wood and metal easily as his eyes turned feral. "**Lycan!**" he spat as his muscles twitched dangerously, aching to rip the werewolf apart as easily as he did the school seat. The boy was snarling and growling, his features becoming more defined from losing his cool and control of his transformation.

The senior student wasn't fairing any better. His right eye was constantly twitching and his hands were clenched so tightly that the limbs were furiously shaking. "…**zoan.**" His retort came back in a growl, deep and guttural and reminding everyone of a severely pissed off canine. Nekonome's head was darting back and forth between the two and all she could think of was 'oh dear'.

The two continued their standoff until Naruto released something akin to a hiss and stalked past the older student, forcefully shoving him with a shoulder before stomping out of the room. Gin stumbled back in surprise before spinning on his heel and making a low, barking howl and striking out with his hand. By that time Naruto had already slammed the room's door shut so the werewolf's strike carved a deep gouge into the plaster that connected to the door frame instead of tanned skin.

The others watched in silence as the confrontation took place, stunned by the violent showdown and how it sparked (to them) over literally nothing. Shizuka was frowning heavily, her hands wringing out the bottom of her shirt worriedly. Gin sighed nasally as his teeth grit together tightly before he turned to his adviser and flashed her a twitchy smile.

"Sorry...about that. Sensei, would it be alright if I took a quick break? I have to go to the bathroom." She could clearly tell the smile was very fake and very strained. Nodding, she let him leave. Almost as soon as the door clicked shut, the oppressive atmosphere lifted and the remaining people in the club room felt as though they could breathe easily again.

Kurumu's foot was tapping out a nervous staccato against the floor as their sempai disappeared, her eyes continuously flitting between the teacher and the door. Unable to take it anymore she made to run out and follow her love but to her chagrin Shizuka grabbed her by the waist and pulled her back in. When the girl went to complain she just shook her head no stubbornly and pointed towards her seat. Kurumu pleaded with her eyes but the woman wouldn't budge. The bluenette stomped back to her seat and dropped back into it loudly with her arms crossed tightly under her chest, glaring at everyone that looked her way.

Tsukune had been gasping repeatedly during the minor battle of wills, clutching at his chest as Moka placed a comforting hand on his back and shoulder. His eyes searched out their teacher as he fought for air, nearly yelling at her once he had calmed enough. "What was **that** about?"

"That…is a very large potential problem." Moka answered for her, looking over at the teacher for confirmation.

"Moka-chan is correct. I was unaware that Naruto-kun was a zoanthrope monster due to the school rules. If I had known, I never would have asked him to join."

"Why's that?" Kurumu asked, very worried about what had just happened to her Destined One. She had never seen him that angry before. Sure, he would get annoyed or snappish. But the look in both his and Morioka's eyes clearly showed that they wanted to kill the other. No, not kill. Destroy.

Nekonome moved in front of the teacher's desk, sitting down at the edge and crossing her arms over her chest. "If you take the elective class Early Ayashi History, then you would understand what just happened and why it's a bad idea to have Naruto-kun and Ginei-kun in the same area. To put it simply, zoanthropes and lycanthropes have a very bloody history. A very long war was fought and many lives were lost before the modern times that we live in now."

All three of the teenagers leaned forward, interested and eager to learn more. "Both monsters have species names that end in –thrope. Does that mean they're somehow related?"

"Very good, Kurumu-san. Yes, it's true. Long ago, before even 0 A.D. in the Gregorian-styled calendar, the zoanthropes and lycanthropes were one united species. There were differences though that soon began to cause a rift between the two peoples. Werewolves learned over time that their DNA was unique compared to their counterparts, i.e. the moon empowered them with its refracted light and their powers were based along speed. Every child born to a werewolf would also be werewolf, even with another species."

"And zoanthropes like Naruto-san? What exactly is a zoanthrope? If Morioka-san transforms into a bipedal wolf…"

The cat monster smiled slightly, nodding in Tsukune's direction. "Zoanthropes change into bipedal animals just like the lycans, but it can literally be any other animal out there. A bug, a bird, a mammal, an amphibian…you name it. Werewolves were once a minority but as their numbers grew and it became known that their offspring would also be wolves, they worked to become equal. It's believed that the genetic defect that continues the lines as wolves was also the same defect that linked the werewolf with the moon."

She cleared her throat and continued. "As for zoanthropes, since the defect found in the werewolves was not present in themselves, it was always a mystery as to what their children would be. Also, if one parent was a zoan and the other was of a different species, then the child would have the ability to transform unless there were certain conditions that altered their genetic code. For example, any female children from a succubus such as Kurumu-san here would automatically be a succubus. Any males would more than likely be the father's species unless they were lucky and born as the male counterpart-the incubus."

All three nodded, enraptured by the lecture. "Oh, I'm sorry. I started to ramble a bit there."

"No it's alright, this is rather interesting while we wait for Naruto-kun to return. I had known that there were problems between the two species but I never knew why. Please continue, Nekonome-sensei." The teacher smiled at her pink-haired student and stroked her chin, trying to get back on track.

"Oh, right! Anyways…so werewolves earned both weakness and strength from the different phases of the moon and always had wolf children. The other were-monsters had no such ability and their children were a mystery. With me so far?" A round of nods. "Alright then. Now as the werewolves become known for their speed and agility, zoanthropes learned how to channel their youki far greater than any other ayashi out their. They could charge their energy into any specific point on their body without significant injuries."

"I…remember once when I was younger, I wanted to get stronger and was trying to see if I could break this small boulder I found by punching it. No matter what I did it wouldn't even dent, so I decided to try channeling my energy into my fist and then try. It really started to burn from having so much contained in one area but I ignored it. Before I could even throw the punch it exploded in my face and almost destroyed my arm from trying to contain the pressure. I was lucky I didn't lose my hand or arm at all." Kurumu said quietly, looking down at her right fist. She remembered trying to make herself stronger to beat up Chroma and get her to leave her alone. Instead she wound up recovering for three and a half days, listening to her mother and Aya lecture on and on about responsible youki management.

"Exactly. Not many monsters can use that ability and it's one of the reasons that zoanthropes are considered S-class, up there with lycanthropes and vampires. As time wore on and the two species grew more varied, the werewolves decided that because of their gift from the moon that they were the superior animals. Well, the zoanthropes didn't take too kindly to that. Things escalated over the years until it became kill-on-sight for the werewolves, and vice versa. Many other monsters only knew that there was something going on between the two factions but none really knew how severe it was. Others would occasionally be pulled into the fighting when the battles encroached on their own territory." Her ears drooped as she looked at the ground. "Many lives were lost…children killed…families ripped apart…all by a war started by bigotry."

Shizuka sighed and raised her head, looking at three students. Each held varying degrees of emotion displayed on their faces. All were gloomy. "Finally, about five hundred years ago peace was achieved. Well…not really peace. More of a cease-fire, really. Both sides hated each other unconditionally but their numbers were decreasing every year. The leaders of the two groups all got together and somehow signed a treaty to end the war. No one was winning, other species were being drawn in, and nothing was being proven. In the end, the two broke up into groups and created their own villages where they continue to live today. Even though by the looks of it that Ginei-kun and Naruto-kun have never met before, did you notice how they instantly lost their cool and wanted to attack? There's more to it but that's all I know, really."

Shizuka looked up at the clock, idly noting that ten minutes had already passed and yet there was still no sign of either of the shape-shifters. She sighed softly again before humming and standing to stretch out her legs. "Aiya! The staff meeting starts soon! Sorry everyone but I have to go!" She reached for the door handle, only for it to open of its own accord.

"Oh, sensei? You're still here? I apologize again for taking so long to return. I had to…cool off." Gin spoke cheerfully as he reentered the classroom. His eyes were on the teacher but Moka had the feeling all of his attention was somehow on her.

"Oh yes, I was just speaking with the other members of the club. Now that you're back you can go ahead and start. I have a staff meeting in five minutes, so take care of them." She turned and waved, her other hand resting on the door frame. "See you later, everyone! And make friends with your sempai!"

Gin waved as she left before moving to the teacher's desk and sitting down in its chair. With a light smirk he began to speak though his eyes were still haunted. "Alright, I better explain what the club is all about. Our goal is to, obviously, publish the school newspaper, and most of your activities will be reporting on things in the academy and putting them in said paper. We may end up in dangerous situations for the sake of reporting, so once you join up you better prepare yourself!" he said seriously, leaning forward towards the three teens.

Moka, Kurumu, and Tsukune all sat there before Moka whispered lowly to the others. "He seems like someone we could depend on…maybe?" Gin smirked evilly, hearing her hushed tones anyways.

He suddenly laughed, holding up a poster for the others to see. "I'm just messing with ya! There's a time to be serious but for now let's have a good time! This is an ad for our club so let's put it up on the back wall!" It was just a picture of Nekonome-sensei smiling and pointing towards an old issue. It…wasn't very exciting at all.

As the trio moved to help their new sempai, all three still had the same thought running through their heads. '_Where are you Naruto? Are you alright?_'

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Ten Minutes Earlier:

Naruto was pissed. He was so pissed he didn't even know where he was going. He just went where his legs took him. Truthfully he had no idea why he was so incensed by the werewolf's mere presence. Maybe it was nearly being killed a few times when he was out traveling. Or maybe it was growing up and being told they were the enemy and that they would kill him whenever they got the chance. Which led back to his first reason.

If the others hadn't been there, Naruto was sure that the two of them would have been at each others throats. At least this way he could go and blow off some steam before someone got hurt.

Like Gin.

The smell of altered water met his nose, stinging it and causing him to exhale sharply. Returning to his surroundings he noticed that he had returned to the school's pool. Oh joy. Water. That'll help him get his emotions under control. Ah, fuck it.

He felt like getting some of this stress out right now. Unleashing the hold on his internal energy, he slashed at the metal fence with a transformed hand. The metal easily gave way to his claws as he reared his head back and channeled his anger at the water. And then he roared. The primal and intimidating noise created by the hyoid bone in his throat ripped free the damaged pieces and sent them careening into the water with a loud and forceful splash. The youki-enhanced roar continued to echo into the distance, forcing birds and animals to flee in fear from the dangerous sound.

Whoo-ee…he felt a bit better now. And a little dizzy too. The fence surrounding the eastern half of the pool was pretty much demolished now too so that was a bonus. A bunch of the nearby windows had been blown out as well…time to book it. At that he walked briskly into the forest, unknowing that a new pair of light blue eyes that didn't belong to a certain yuki-onna were trained on him.

Moving into the nest of trees he slumped up against one of them, covering his eyes with his hands as he listened to the chilled silence listing through the air. The steady sound of his own heartbeat was the only thing that broke the peace. Maybe he could stay out here for awhile and simply relax.

But wait, he left Kurumu-chan and Moka-chan with that mongrel. That couldn't be good. He might even assault them for being associated with him.

…no. Things wouldn't escalate that far. Nekonome-sensei was still there and the bastard wouldn't try to start anything with a member of the faculty around. Even werewolves weren't _that_ stupid.

Leaves crunched underfoot as someone drew closer to his position until finally they were right on top of him, standing at his front. Maybe it was Mizore, seeing if he was alright? It wasn't Kurumu as she would have tackled him already. -*sniff*-*sniff*- Oh…well that was a surprise.

"Hey there, Tiger. I take it there's a reason you just defaced school property?" Naruto's left hand slid down his face to let him look at his guest. If the scent hadn't given it away, the hair color and eyes would have. Ichinose Tamao stood before him with her hands on her hips, actually dressed in something other than a bikini. It wasn't that big of a change really; the school-sanctioned skirt and long-sleeved white dress shirt. Still, it actually made her look like she was a student.

The zoan snorted at her greeting, finding it oddly hilarious. "Close…but wrong species." He mumbled lowly. "Can I help you, Ichinose-san?"

"You tell me. I was minding my own business, reading a book near the refreshing atmosphere of the pool when suddenly half the fence is destroyed and blown into the water and some windows on the nearby wing explode." He actually had the decency to look embarrassed, grinning up at her sheepishly.

"Whoops…sorry about that. I didn't know anyone was around when I did that." She snorted in amusement, sitting across from him with her legs folded beneath her and to the left. Smoothing out her skirt, she looked at him expectantly.

"Well?"

"…well, what?"

Tamao sighed, obviously annoyed by the stupidity of his answer as she rolled her eyes dramatically. "Well what's eatin' you? I know you said you didn't want to get wet yesterday but that doesn't cause someone to go attacking pools unless they're clinically insane." She suddenly smirked knowingly, leaning forward a bit as she looked at him with lidded eyes. "Oh, I know! Your little succubus friend found somebody else to date. Too bad for you, I guess. Those women are insatiable from what I hear. If you can't keep up then they toss you away like a piece of garbage."

"Wrong." he growled before rubbing his temples. "Look, I'm not in the mood for this okay? If you're looking for revenge for your own little beat down, Moka is somewhere else as you can clearly see."

"Alright, alright. Sorry, I was just trying to lighten the mood a bit."

"Great job, by the way."

The mermaid grinned, using her finger to place a bluish bang behind her ear. "Thanks. So now that you've ruined my fun, why not tell me your story?"

"It doesn't concern you so don't worry about it. I'm just a bit heated up right."

"In case you've forgotten I did mention a couple days ago I'd help you cool off if given the chance." she added with a seductive wink.

"Oh I remember but you're not exactly luring me into the water anytime soon. If this is your attempt at seducing me then it'd be easier just to skip the foreplay and try to drain me here on land." he grunted. She actually giggled, her eyes dancing merrily and actually causing him to grin a bit.

"That's _very_ tempting but I'll have to decline for now. Most of the swimming club is still recovering in the infirmary and it wouldn't be nearly as fun. I got off light with a freshly healed busted jaw compared to the others. I'll be surprised if they're out by summer vacation. Instead I'm just using club time to relax."

"Fun."

"Fun? No. Relaxing? Very. Boring? A bit. And I can't exactly go swimming now, can I?" she asked pointedly, glaring slightly at the boy who just shrugged.

"You're not going to leave me alone unless I tell you, will you?" She shook her head automatically, making him concede that point. "Fine. There's a werewolf in the club I joined." He felt his eye twitch as the girl just stared at him blankly. "…I'm a zoanthrope." That caused a reaction.

"Oh! Ooooooooh, that's not good. We've learned about that in monster-history class. Terrible..."

"I don't even know the guy and yet I had the urge to kill him right then and there. Stupid mutt. Some guy named Gin or something idiotic like that."

"Gin? Morioka Gin? So you joined the Newspaper Club and I'm guessing since you were there, Moka, Tsukune, and your little succubus are still there with him?" He nodded slowly, presuming that they were indeed still in the classroom. The mermaid hopped to her feet and grabbed him by the arm, dragging him out of his seat. "We have to go! Now! He's a mega-pervert that preys on girls and you're out of luck if he sets his sights on you! He doesn't know the meaning of the word 'no'!"

Naruto remembered back to how the male paid close attention to Moka and knew that things were going to get worse. "Shit! I think he's after Moka!"

"Oh, she can handle herself then. I would know." She scowled, gripping his arm a little tighter as she remembered the past events and her disgrace. In turn he grabbed her hands and pulled them off, rushing away as he yelled back to her.

"Thanks for the heads up but I'll take it from here!" Naruto was a bit surprised when he felt her following, somehow keeping up with his speed despite moving in those elevated sandals of hers.

"Forget that, I want to see! Besides, who said I was just going to see Akashiya get pawed by a horny wolf? I've got nothing else to do and you interest me!" The boy choked in a breath, peering over his shoulder at her.

'_Oh lord, not another one!_' "What are you talking about? I didn't even do anything to catch your eye! How did _I _interest _you_?"

"I felt your power yesterday, you actually seem nice unlike the other assholes around here, you don't really act like a pervert and if you are then you hide it damn well, and you're hot! So get used to it, buddy!" she yelled, ticking off her points with her fingers.

He almost felt like crying. _Almost_. For now, he had a friend to save.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The duo moved quickly through the halls, occasionally passing by a few other students who would look at them oddly. Perhaps it was because Naruto was with a different girl other than Kurumu or Moka. Or maybe it was because the female in question was notorious for trying to kill at least two of his friends a few days ago.

Turning down the hallway to the Newspaper room he nearly ran smack dab into Shizuka, who grabbed at her chest in surprise when the panting teen nearly bowled her over. "Naruto-kun! There you are! We were worried about you!"

"I'm fine now, Nekonome-sensei. Sorry about that…I wasn't really in control of myself."

"I understand. I apologize as well. I didn't know your monster type and would never have asked you to join if I did. If you wish to quit and find another I'll understand."

"There's no time for that. Is everyone still back in the room?" The teacher tapped her cheek and nodded, seeing the rather flustered look on his face.

"Well, yes. They've more than likely started club activities now…" She trailed off as Naruto stepped past and moved towards the door. Tamao stepped up to Nekonome and gave her a small smile.

"Don't worry, sensei. I'll watch his ass for him." She let her eyes drift to his backside for added emphasis. "See ya." She chirped, following after. The older woman's 'ears' twitched in worry as the students moved away, her squinted eyes watching their movements. She peeked at her watch and grimaced, wondering why of all days for there to be a staff meeting. She could only hope that things stayed nonviolent in her absence.

Naruto didn't even bother with knocking or announcing himself. He just grabbed the handle and slammed the door open. Two small squeaks bumped into his chest and fell backwards onto the ground. It was Moka and Kurumu, both red in the face and rubbing their noses from the impact.

Behind them, Tsukune stood next to Gin. Tsukune's cheeks were bright red and puffed out like he had been struck. Gin had a bright grin that instantly fell into a scowl when Naruto walked back into the room.

"Naruto!" He felt a weight against his chest as Kurumu teleported to him and pulled the boy into an embrace which he returned. "I've been worried sick about you but Nekonome-sensei wouldn't let me go after you!" He smiled at her caring attitude but kept his eyes trained on Gin. No point in giving the prick a free shot when his attention was elsewhere.

"Did he do anything to you or Moka?" She blinked in wonder, following his line of vision over to the still scowling brunet. A shake of her head denied his fears, her hair tickling his nose with a few stray strands.

"No…but Tsukune peeped up our skirts when we tried hanging up posters!" Said boy flinched and began cowering as Naruto's eyes landed on him. Oh god, he was going to die! Instead of instantly dying from the boy's wrath, he watched as Naruto instead narrowed his eyes back on Gin and let his youki rise a bit in warning.

"Don't even think about it, mutt. I know what your game is and you can just fuck off."

The brunet's damnable grin was back. Oh he wished he could rip it off. "Is that really any way to speak to your superior and sempai, moon-reject? After all, you _are_ still a part of _my_ club." Naruto hissed like a pissed cat and turned, pulling the two girls with him out of the room. Gin merely placed an arm around Tsukune's shoulders and sighed, chuckling at the turn of events. "This is getting rather exciting, isn't it Tsukune? It's getting me rather _antsy_. Oh well. See you tomorrow." He removed the limb and left, leaving the poor confused boy to his thoughts.

"T-Tamao! What are you doing here?" Moka shrieked and hid behind Naruto as the group walked through the halls. The mermaid had been grinning nonstop and was content to pat Kurumu on the back, the other girl inching away in case she tried to bite her or something.

"Chill out, I'm not here for you or Tsukune-kun. I came upon Naruto-kun here after he threw a hissy fit and decided to stick around with him. Swim Club will probably be canceled because of the recruiting fiasco you're all aware of. Besides, I thought I'd get to know him better. After all, as his sempai it's only proper." Kurumu instantly pulled the boy into her bosomy chest and glared at her fellow bluenette, claiming her 'territory' in front of the other girls.

"Sorry to disappoint but Naruto-koi is mine. You'll just have to go look somewhere else?"

"No, I think I'll stay. Naruto-kun there doesn't mind my presence so what's it matter then?" Small bolts of lightning sparked between the girl's eyes, proposing a challenge to the other. Moka wondered if her friend would be able to handle being chased now by two eccentric girls. Plus there was still the other one out there that had attacked the succubus that seemed to like him too. A small growl echoed in her thoughts and Moka looked down to her rosario in wonder. Nothing else followed so she believed it to be nothing more than a figment of her imagination.

Finally, Naruto removed himself from the seducer's grip on his head and breathed deep. Cracking his neck, he looked at each girl in turn. "I want you all to be careful of Gin. He has a reputation of being a lady's man and I think he's after you, Moka-chan. Please. I don't want him doing anything to any of you." This time he was pulled into a hug by Tamao, instantly infuriating Kurumu.

"Why, you do care about me! Oh, Naruto-kun! I knew you'd start falling for me after we spoke out in the forest!"

"As if, bitch! Get your slimy hands off of him!" The boy was ripped from Tamao's grasp as Kurumu lashed out, the two beginning some sort of fight. It involved bopping each other with their fists…so he at least guessed it was a fight. Moka just looked worriedly at her blonde friend, helping him to stand as they watched the succubus/mermaid free-for-all.

"Thank you for worrying, Naruto-kun, but I'll be alright. I'm more worried about you. Should we stop them?" she asked, seeing the girls now pulling on the others cheeks to make them submit.

"No. This is tame compared to an actual battle. Let them be I guess. After all, it helps to let things out when you can." Moka nodded, hoping that at least this wouldn't become a common occurrence.

Wrong.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

:The Next Day:

"I don't like perverts."

Tsukune stood there stunned as Moka walked away, her school bag trailing behind her as she moved. The boy blinked stupidly before rushing after her, trying to explain his actions but she wouldn't have any of that. Besides, she wasn't actually mad at him anymore. She just wanted him to stew in his guilt for a day or so as revenge. It seemed even sweet, innocent Moka had a nasty side to her.

She continued on as Tsukune followed behind, staying quiet lest he make the situation worse. Shouting reached their ears and both sighed, already knowing what was going on. Lo and behold, Naruto was sitting on a bench drinking a can of iced coffee with Tamao and Kurumu on either side of him. Both girls were glaring daggers at the other and shouting, with their hands holding the boy's shoulders possessively. Naruto simply sat there calmly, reading a little orange book with the occasional sip of his beverage as though nothing was wrong.

"I can't believe you! You have no claim to him! How could you even think that you could sneak into his room?"

"What makes you think _you_ can?"

"I'll have you know he doesn't mind when I do it! He loves cuddling with his Kurumu-chan! Better than waking up to the smell of fish!"

"I'll have you know I smell damn good! At least if I cuddled with him he wouldn't suffocate because of those watermelons you call breasts!"

"Girls. Stop. Please." Naruto mumbled in monotone, taking a sip of his coffee and turning the page. They ignored him and continued to squabble, even as Moka and Tsukune greeted them.

"Forget to close your window again, Naruto?" He shook his head with a confused look, snapping the book shut and placing it in his interior jacket pocket.

"No, that's the weird thing. I had it closed and locked since it was raining last night. How they both got in without any signs of forced entry, I haven't a clue. It's easier to just let them argue it out instead of trying to interfere."

"Chum-breath!"

"Air-head!"

The two released their hold on him to grab at the other, allowing him to smoothly slide out of his seat and stand. With his absence the girls slid closer and began trying to claw at the others eyes. "So…what's new?"

"Moka-san's still mad at me…" Tsukune sighed dejectedly, sparing her a glance. The girl turned up her nose with a cute little 'hmph' and moved to the zoan's side.

"Of course. You peeked at me. Come on, Naruto-kun." Once again he found himself being pulled along by his tie. He sent his fellow male a 'why me/help me' look but the boy only grimaced and waved forlornly.

As the two dropped out of sight, the arguing girls seemed to realize that the object of their affection was no longer there. Tsukune was questioned about his whereabouts and when he said that Moka took him away, they both darted off. More than likely to find him first instead of actually taking him back from the pink-haired beauty.

"What am I complaining about? I just have a disagreement with Moka-san…Naruto has two girls fighting over him, a third that stalks him, and his club leader is his mortal enemy. Psh, I'm one to talk." He whispered to himself. With nothing else to do for now, the human decided to just continue on to the clubroom. That action was canceled by a new voice trying to gain his attention.

"Yo, Tsukune!"

"Oh…Gin-sempai. Can I help you?"

Gin jogged up to him, flashing a grin. "Today's club activities are being held outside. Come with me and I'll show you."

"O-oh, okay. What about the others?"

"Don't worry, I left a note on the club door. They'll meet up with us later." Tsukune nodded and turned, walking in step with Gin as they headed towards the gymnasium. He never did see the sinister smirk that crossed the werewolf's lips or the glint of the camera lens he kept hidden in his pocket.

"I'm sorry for stealing you away Naruto-kun but it looked like you needed to escape for a bit." The boy laughed and took a breath, nodding to his friend. The two had wandered around for a bit and wound up near the dormitories.

"Yeah, thanks. I've actually been meaning to talk to you one-on-one for awhile now, and now seemed like the perfect time. I mean, I used to know your other self but it's been years now. I'll talk with her at some other point but why don't you tell me about _yourself? _After all, we're more acquaintances that friends, really. And I want to be your friend." Moka smiled at his request and began recounting her life to him, from the first time she could remember all the way up till the present.

She loved tomato juice and fresh blood, especially Tsukune's. She hated untreated water, perverts, and the way boys would look at her without ever trying to get to know her. They just saw her as a sex object or pretty girl to hang off their arm like some sort of prize. Her mother had disappeared and her father sent her away after sealing up her powers with the rosario, sending her to live among the humans for a reason she couldn't remember. According to her, living as a human had been a terrible time in her life. None of the others believed she was actually a vampire, and because of that she was ostracized and called a weirdo. It was a lonely experience until finally she had transferred to Youkai Academy and met Tsukune, gaining her very first friend.

"And now I'm friends with you and Kurumu too!" she exclaimed happily, wiping a few tears from her eyes. The male pulled her into a friendly hug which she returned, sighing to herself. She tilted her head, looking at him with her green eyes. "What about you? After all it's only fair."

"True. Let's see…" Naruto proceeded to do just that. His favorite color was orange and he loved to just take the time to run around. Water annoyed him, only being good enough to drink or bathe with or the occasional swim. At ten years old it was decided he would go out and learn about other races with the help of Jiraiya, an older zoan that was a friend of the family. From there he met lots of other people before returning to his village at thirteen. Almost instantly his father dragged him into village politics, telling him he would be the leader once Minato finally stepped down. Clearly that would be years from now so Naruto had no clue why they started so young. Plus, with him being the son of both the leader of their village and a phoenix zoanthrope, it was decided that Naruto was a high priority target. Families tried to get their daughters to wed him, and others saw him as a mini-celebrity, wanting to date him for the fame and money that would be involved.

"And so they sent me here for whatever reason. I was against it at first but now I'm actually alright with it. After all, how much of a coincidence is it that you, Kurumu-chan, and Mizore-chan are all enrolled here as well?"

The girl nodded in agreement as the two slipped into a comfortable silence, ignoring the looks they were receiving from passersby of both sexes. "So…now both Kurumu and Tamao want to date you, eh?" she asked slyly, shooting him a fanged grin. It grew when the boy actually blushed. "Ah, so you like them too!"

"Quiet!" he hissed, but there was no malice in it. "Kurumu, yes I do. And Mizore as well but I haven't seen her in awhile. She's still off figuring out what she wants for her future."

"And Tamao?"

"…well, she's cute, I'll give her that. But it's more like she's trying to get into my pants or annoy Kurumu. I want more, you know?" Moka nodded, feeling the same way. The two continued speaking under the watchful yet inconspicuous eye of Shirayuki Mizore. While Moka had made no move towards the blonde, that didn't mean Mizore would just let her be alone with Naruto. She had decided to speak with the only teacher whose class she actively went to, and Kosubo-sensei gave her what advice he could.

"_If you have feelings for him then continue to try to win his heart. That's all I can really say._" He told her, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. She had smiled back at him, genuinely feeling that she had made someone new to confide in. So now she would continue to monitor the boy and learn more about him, swooping in one day and stealing him away from the others.

And great. Now there was a mermaid involved. Seriously. What the hell, Naruto?

She continued to watch as a nondescript girl approached them and explained to Moka that Tsukune had been caught peeking through the window into the girl's locker rooms. Since the two had some sort of relationship, the girl decided that Moka would probably want to know. She sent Naruto a pleading look and he merely complied, letting her know they would talk more later on. Not one minute after she left and he pulled out his book, Tamao appeared from behind and settled into his lap. That was followed by Kurumu appearing as though by a summoning and pushing the girl out of her perch as they cycle began anew.

Mizore just laughed to herself. So far there hadn't been any other boy's that caught her attention, but if this was how things continued to be then it was clear that she'd have her husband soon enough. Naruto needed a gentle touch, not anyone forceful like what she was watching right now. Naruto, though…even as he tried to stop them there was this silly grin on his face, as if this situation was rather humorous and he was having a good time.

Curious.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Moka stared out over the school from the main building's rooftop. The day was nearly over and the sky was slowly bleeding from day to night, blue changing to grayish black as the planet continued on its slow spin of its axis. A small sigh escaped her lips as the day's events flashed through her mind. Tsukune was terrible and she had apparently judged him wrong. Spying on the female locker room…for shame! The girls had tied him up after capturing him and Moka had ran away after seeing it with her own eyes…where he was now, she hadn't a clue.

The stairwell door creaked open and she imagined it might have been Tsukune, coming to ask for forgiveness. But could she really after what he had done? Or maybe it was Naruto. He always appeared when she needed someone and their friendship had grown that day after their talk. She could really use a shoulder to lean on at the moment.

The person that did appear, however, was the exact being she was least expecting. And the one she was warned to be wary of. "So this is where you've been, Moka-san. It's evening already. And look! Such a beautiful full moon."

"Oh…Gin-sempai…"

"It's just terrible. Did you hear about the incident with Tsukune? They still have him locked up somewhere. Are you waiting for him?" She looked away, biting her lip in worry and making the boy's smile grow. "I'm not sure who took it, but this has been posted all over the school." He held up a small photograph displaying her friend reaching up and looking inside through a window. Moka gasped as she held it in her hand. This was solid proof of his dirty secret.

"So it's really true…"

"Trust me, Moka. It would be easier just to forget about a guy like that." Gin almost seemed to slither over as he placed an arm around her shoulders and brought her in close. His fingers tapped lightly against her upper arm and the position made her very uncomfortable. "Don't worry…tonight, I'll console you." This wasn't going the way she wanted, at all.

She struggled against his strength and jumped as his hands seem to caress her body, causing the S-class monster to scream and do her best to fight back. "Kyaaa! Let go! What are you doing? You, you just felt me up!"

"It _is_ a full moon, is it not? When that beautiful object is complete, it gives me a rush of power and I just feel like losing control! When I go wild, my urges just make me crazy!" He spun her around, holding her tightly by the shoulders as he leaned in to kiss her. Horrified, Moka pushed back to free herself. Forgetting her own inborn strength, the girl literally pushed him back ten feet into the bricks that housed the stairway.

"STOP! NO!" Free from the werewolf's hands, she stared at the pictures still resting in hers. "T-Tsukune said that he didn't mean to look…I'll wait for him because I want to believe in Tsukune!" she finished with a flourish, flinging the pictures into the wind.

As the dust settled from her 'attack', Gin's standing figure gradually faded into view entirely unharmed. His right hand ghosted over his face as his eyes bore down into her very soul. "You're serious? Heh..hehehe…I'm falling for you more and more, Moka-san! But I already told you didn't I? That on nights like this I lose control?" His body began to bulge and shake as muscles and bones rearranged and grew. Claws burst out from his now exposed feet and fingers as his jaw and nose lengthened into a snout. Pure youki was gushing out of Gin as grey fur covered the entirety of his being, creating a vortex of steaming energy around his body that stirred up the dust and air.

"**I'LL JUST FORCE YOU TO BE MY WOMAN, AKASHIYA MOKAAAA!" **Gin brandished his claws and advanced on her as the pinkette screamed in fright. If only she knew how to fight like her inner persona. Then in situations like this she could instantly react instead of being forced to wait and see if Tsukune would show up and release her. But Tsukune wasn't around, locked away by irate females. Her legs wouldn't heed her commands to flee and she knew the worst was yet to come.

"STOP!"

Gin paused, turning his head and growling dangerously at the sight. Tsukune dropped onto the roof from the now darkened sky, followed by both Tamao and Kurumu. Kurumu was fully transformed and panting from the exertion of carrying the other two teenagers up from ground level by her wings. Moka felt her heart lighten significantly as they all ran up to her. "Tsukune! Kurumu-chan! Tamao-san!"

The werewolf took a step towards them all smacked his lips in disgust. "**Feh…weren't you locked up?**"

"Tamao-san and Kurumu rescued me!" he shouted back.

"We lost sight of Naruto after you and he had your little conversation. On our search we saw the mutt over there taking Tsukune-kun here someplace and decided to follow. I figured he was up to no good." Tamao answered, placing her hands on her hips and finishing with sarcasm. "And oh, look. I was right. Gin over there tricked him into peeping. How about that?"

Moka gasped again as the lycan seemed to quake in his spot, his eyes glowing dangerously in the moonlight. "**How…DARE you interrupt our special moment! I'LL KILL YOU!**" Gin's energy exploded outward yet again as the force generated by his youki caused the winds to pick up. The others were forced to wince and cover their eyes as the debris buffeted their bodies.

The girls cried out as the human male suddenly ran forward to try and reunite with his friend but the action was in vain. Gin phased out of view and Tsukune suddenly found himself weightless as his footing left the ground. A swipe of his leg and Gin had tripped poor Tsukune and sent him on a one way trip through the air. Time seemed to slow down as Moka ran and reached out to her friend, the boy sailing directly towards her with his own hand extended in kind. The two hit the ground with a loud thud and the brunet wheezed from a heavy foot digging into his back and cutting off the flow of air to the boy's lungs.

Gin continued with the pressure, feeling a sense of satisfaction as he felt his club member's bones begin to strain from the force and nearly gave a laugh. Instead, heightened annoyance bubbled up upon seeing both Tsukune's and **his** Moka's hands still connected from their fall. "**Bastard can't even keep his hands off of Moka-san…so hurry up and die!**" Fingers tightened up into a steel-like shovel, intent on ripping the teen's still beating heart out through his back.

But for once he wasn't fast enough.

Reddish-black light exploded into life, blinding him and forcing Gin to stave off his attack. Tsukune looked at his hand in wonder, seeing the illuminated glint of a metal cross resting between his fingertips. That had been quite the chance but somehow his luck won out. When he and Moka grabbed at each other, his hand connected with her rosario. Gravity took care of the rest, causing him to yank the holy locket off upon slamming down on their stomachs.

Inner Moka had been released.

The other's watched as the now released youki formed a vortex of energy around the girl and altered her features. Pink turned silver, green gave way to red, and the whole visage of the girl grew slightly. Morioka Gin couldn't believe it. Akashiya Moka wasn't just any other monster, but a vampire. Another S-class creature and one that could give him a run for his money. The rumors were actually true and the situation had just became a whole lot more interesting.

"**WAHAHAHAHAHAAA! Even transformed you're still beautiful, Akashiya Moka!**" Gin yelled, the skin under his fur taking on a reddish hue as Moka sneered. "**I don't give a shit that you're a vampire, I'll still defeat you and make you my woman!**" The woman threw a straight jab at the boy's face but he merely phased out of existence again in a blur of motion. Moka was stunned that not only did he dodge her attack, but his speed had carried him all the way to the other side of the roof where he stood with his arms crossed, silhouetted under the glow of the moon.

Gin made a deep chuffing noise before tensing and fading yet again, leaving behind the backlash of dust and wind from his movements. Moka's head swiveled around as fast as she could force it but all she could see were the faint afterimages left behind by the speedy creature as he constantly circled her. The viewers were having a much harder time, only seeing a whirlwind of motion surrounding the silver-haired vampire. "H-he's fast!"

"**If the strength of a vampire is their power, then my race has speed! Not only that but the moon increases it even farther! Tonight the moon shines brighter than ever! Tonight I'm invincible!**"

'_**Blast! Even I can't see him!**_' Gin appeared in the air above Moka with his claws outstretched, intent on sinking them into her back and 'claim his prize'. Moka was the strongest there, and if he could take her out of the picture then there was nothing the mermaid, succubus, and…whatever the hell Tsukune was, could do to stop him. His victory was at hand-

-but then the stairwell exploded, sending bricks and debris careening off the side of the building as the metal door moved on a one way course towards the lycan's back. He was able to twist around in time and bring his arms up to guard but that didn't stop the loud whimper of pain as the steel missile connected with his limbs. He tumbled away bonelessly as everyone's attention was drawn to the smoking section of what was once a solid foundation.

And then the weight of the new contender's youki came crashing down on them, causing them each to shiver under the wave of emotions contained within. The deafening silence was only broken by the sound of heavy footsteps as Naruto finally stepped into the situation. Beams of soft light illuminated his face and allowed the others to see he was eerily calm despite his amberish, bloodshot eyes.

Gin began to laugh, even as blood dripped down from his fresh wounds onto the cement. It was loud with an almost insane ring to it that eventually trickled down into sporadic giggles. "**I was wondering when you'd finally show up, moon-reject!**"

"As if I'd stay away after feeling your foul energy. I found a nice, sunny spot to sleep in and suddenly the moon is out and your youki signature is blaring against my senses. **You. Woke. Me. Up!**" Fangs were bared in challenge and claws were flexed, and the others knew that things were about to get a lot worse.

Kurumu suddenly blinked owlishly, her leathery wings fluttering a bit against the cool night air as she whispered to the others."Wait. He was napping? That's why we couldn't find him and he didn't answer us?"

"Oh, he's getting it once this is done and over with." Tamao whispered back readily. Tsukune had the greatest urge to roll his eyes but the innate fear of being at ground zero in the battle of mortal enemies kept the feeling at bay. Across the way, Naruto's features began to change as he released own his human illusion and returned to his true appearance. A flick of his arm and a silently pleading glance had the succubus suddenly finding herself holding his school jacket in her arms. Guessing he didn't want it destroyed, she tied the clothing around her waist as she didn't feel like carrying it and it wouldn't work with her wings extended. Satisfied, she returned to watching the scene.

Skin turned yellow as fur replaced flesh. The hair on top of his head grew coarser and longer, sweeping back as it faded from bright blonde to darker grey. It continued and creeped down his scalp and sideburns, connecting and growing under his chin. His ears grew to a point and slid up his skull, still visible within the newly grown mane. His golden eyes stared down the newly grown snout and whiskers, dilated like the big cats of nature instead of his pre-transformation slit. Muscles grew, strengthened, and became sleeker as his now pawed feet burst from his shoes, toe claws digging into the terrain. A lengthy tail with a grey tuft of fur at the end sprouted out of his pants.

The king of the jungle had finally been unleashed, as human gave way to beast.

"**I have been wanting to do this since I laid eyes on your pathetic form! Tonight, the moon gains another sacrifice as a -thrope failure loses his life!**" Gin pursed his lips and threw back his head, howling into the sky. The sound was low and mournful, as though representing the coming loss of life. Naruto himself stomped his feet into the cement and roared in return, oddly mixing with the canine's howl and creating a dual symphony of rage and sorrow.

"Whoa…" Kurumu felt her jaw drop, utter amazement at finally seeing Naruto in his true form. There had been so many clues now that she thought about it, the sleeping in the sun being the most recent, and yet she never even thought to go with 'big cat'. Beside her, Tamao was mirroring her fellow blue-hair's actions. His power was incredible, just like Moka's and Gin's! And that look? Definitely sexy, especially with that mane and whiskers. She was seriously going to make him hers, now. He was the type of mate any girl would want.

Tsukune had stumbled back in fear, tripping over his own feet. He really liked it when they all looked human and not eager to kill. Inner Moka was eyeing the both of them with a critical gaze, her arms flexing in front of her in disdain. The woman dearly wished to put the horny mutt in his place but this was actually a rather interesting turn of events. This too was her first time seeing Naruto in his animal form, and a rather new emotion was now bubbling up inside her chest. Exhilaration.

'_**It has been some time since I last witnessed you fight…show me how you've improved, Naruto.**_' His form lacked the refinement and sophistication of the vampires, but still held a feral attractiveness that still grabbed at her attention. The vampire finally abandoned her flexing and crossed her arms over her now larger chest, deciding to settle in for the show.

Naruto suddenly staggered back as a force connected with his nose, drawing a minor yip as Gin drew first blood. The boy spit out a small loogie flecked with red and snarled at the smirking werewolf across from him. "**That's the one lucky shot you get, asshole.**" He widened his stance a bit with his arms hanging at his sides and waited for any sign of movement as he used his youki to reach out to the surrounding area.

The lycan appeared right in his face with his claws arched to pierce but to everyone's amazement the zoan spun in his spot and lashed out. Gin jumped in surprise as furred fingers wrapped around his wrists and held him in place as the grinning fangs of Naruto filled his vision. "**How did you know?**" he demanded.

"**Seen it before. I guess you dogs can't learn new tricks.**" The wolf's retort died on the tip of his tongue as his own head snapped back from Naruto's forehead smashing against his own. The lion continued the attack by kicking him in the chest and forcing Gin to the ground. From there the zoan continued to viciously claw and tear at any place he could reach.

Gin's head shot up and dug his teeth into Naruto's wrist and began shaking as fast and hard as he could, ripping open the muscles and tasting the metallic tang of blood as it coated his teeth and tongue. The lion roared in pain and lost his footing, fumbling into a haphazard descent. As the two rolled around in their deadly embrace, it was like one big ball of murderous fur: claws flashing, teeth snapping, and the deep rumble that bubbled up from their throats as they growled and yipped.

As the blows continued, the others were reminded of two alpha animals warring over territory as the combatants lost themselves in animalistic instinct. In a sudden flit of speed, Gin twisted Naruto's wrist and locked the joint before kicking him hard in the elbow and grinning when he heard bones crack from the pressure.

Naruto stumbled away with a throaty whine, wondering why the hell things were so difficult. Even with the moon out boosting the lycanthrope's power, he himself should have been much stronger than what he was currently displaying. It should have been over when he dropped Gin to the floor and proceeded to tear him apart. But his claws didn't have enough power behind them and that's what bugged him. He should have bit him in the throat and gave him a heavy shake, breaking the neck quickly and quietly. Now, his own arm was possibly fractured when it should have been reinforced, and, and…

Why the hell did he feel faint?

Gin chortled at the pained feline's distress, pointing towards the boy's neck and chest which were both beginning to tingle uncomfortably. His eyes locked onto a small chain looped around his throat and dangling down between his collar bones. It shined in the light and showed to be crafted in the shape of a wolf's head. And crikey, it was beginning to burn. It was then Naruto realized exactly what was happening.

"**You bastard!**" The wolf just laughed again, limbering his joints by popping the bones with a content sigh. It was such a sight, seeing Naruto try and remove the charm only to yowl in pain as he recoiled away with a deepened hiss.

"**Like it? A gift passed down through my family. I always keep it with me in case I ever ran into trouble. Pure silver crafted in my people's image and charmed by witches so it lost the malleability the element is known for! I placed it on you during our scuffle and that leads to my victor-hrt!**" Sharp hands roughly grabbed his hair and jerked downward to disrupt his speech, bone crunching against bone as his snout made contact with Naruto's kneecap followed by a heel drop against the back of his skull. The attack created a small crater in the roof's foundation as Gin hacked out blood that now threatened to clog his airways after the sudden assault.

Naruto himself was breathing heavily as malicious lightning crackled along his skin. "**You…may have used…my…weakness against me but…I can still kick your ass!**" Gathering his strength, the zoan stomped down on the wolf's tail and twisted his heel, receiving a satisfying shriek of pain that caused everyone but Moka to wince. He opened his mouth wide and lunged for Gin's throat but the werewolf clawed him in the shin and rolled away once his tail was free.

Gusts of wind, afterimages, and globs of red liquid were the only indications that Gin was once again using his speed to attack. The blonde's body shook as blow after blow knocked him around and he couldn't even fight back. When he struck out at the wolf's supposed location, the bastard was already somewhere else. And the silver draining his system wasn't helping either. The lycan used the time between hits to belittle the teen, doing his best to cause maximum damage.

"**Did your **-*smack*- **pea-sized brain **-*crack*-** forget? **-*punch*- **I am invincible under the **-*crack*- **light **-*slash*- **of the full moon! **-*hit*- **As long as **-*slam*-**I keep this up you'll be dead **-*whack*- **in no time!**" A thought crossed his mind when a sharp claw grazed his shoulder, making him retaliate with a front kick to the small of Naruto's back. '_**No. Even weakened the bastard is still a threat. I need to finish him now.**_'

"**Say goodbye, fucker!**" His body blurred back into existence in a crouch, eager to spear his hand through the feline's stomach and disembowel him with glee. But, imagine his surprise when Naruto's hand popped up and deftly caught Gin's own, stopping it completely. "**Hehe…w-what's the ma-matter, mut-tt? Sl-slowing down?**"

"**What? How! There's no way you could have stopped that!**" Naruto growled and used his other hand to point behind the struggling wolf but the lycanthrope wouldn't fall for such an idiotic ploy. But how? How did he stop him? His necklace should have weakened the damn cat significantly by now. How come he couldn't even break the hold on his hand?

A chill settled across Gin's spine as he noticed their battleground seemed darker than it had been a few minutes earlier. Bones nearly splintered from the speed he turned his head, letting put a pitiful whine upon his dreaded discovery. The moon! The clouds had partially eclipsed his source of strength, filtering the night's illumination and thereby draining his own body of their heightened reserves! Another whimper escaped his lips as he heard Naruto growl victoriously, and the lycanthrope could only imagine the beaming yet bloody grin splitting his adversaries face.

"**Aw, d-did the doggy lose hi-his advant-t-tage?**" The blonde didn't miss a beat, jabbing him in the back of the knee and rolling his weight, digging his free hand into Gin's chest as the other lifted the boy overhead. A pained gasp was released as the wolf's back slammed against the roof with Naruto's nails digging deeper into skin…

And what the hell was this? His chest was starting to tingle and feel ridiculously hot. A warm yet ominous glow peaked out between the zoanthrope's fingers, shadowing both of their faces with splotches of red. "**Heheh…heh…you forgot something there…asshole. Lycan's may have speed…and vampires have power…but us zoans? We have youki manipulation…**"

With a grunt the output was increased, forcing a bolt of lightning to flash across his vision as the hold over his energy became nonexistent. The silver around his neck was still inducing a reaction and interfering with his control, forcing the monstrous power to fluctuate wildly. The attack was meant to kill Gin or incapacitate him at the very least…but with his control gone to shit it was gonna hurt both of them and it was too late to back out now. Instead he inhaled as deeply as he could and roared, expelling the hatred and anger he felt at having nearly lost to this worthless dog. At least now it would be considered a tie.

**KRRRCK-BOOOOOOOOM**

Tamao, Tsukune, Kurumu, and even Moka were blown off their feet and into the perimeter fence, denting the metal under their speeding weight. Luckily the grates held and kept them from falling, but that still didn't mean it was one hell of a wake-up call that the battle was now over. With half of the rooftop instantly destroyed, two objects were sent careening violently over battered brick and mortar and straight off the roof. The fence didn't even hold them as Gin and Naruto slammed into the metal and popped over the edge.

As they picked themselves up shakily, Kurumu wobbled into the air and dove after her love with tears flowing from her eyes. The other three were already bounding towards the stairs, fearing the worst after seeing such a violent explosion so close up. The two girls flexibly dodged through the rubble and nearly skipped down the stairs as Tsukune did his best to keep up. The human passed through empty hallways before bursting back outside, hunching over as he forced oxygen into his lungs and cursing at his out of shape body.

What he came upon was a sobering sight.

Kurumu, bawling her eyes out into Naruto's heavily singed mane as she cradled his head to her chest. He himself lay unmoving in a large divot with only heavily damaged pants still on his frame. His only remains of his dress shirt were bits of cloth with the skin underneath red, raw, hairless, and exposed where the fur was burned off. His hands were in the same smoking condition. Gin's pendant was gone, either ripped free in the blast or destroyed completely. Proof that it once hung there lay in the blackened and cracked flesh,still sparking with youki backlash from the shiny element's purifying power.

Poor Kurumu had slipped into a sort of denial, Tsukune hearing her mumbling that things would be okay and that Naruto was going to be fine, uncaring of the blood seeping against her arms and sweater. All she herself could hear was a faint buzzing as the others apparently spoke, pure gibberish to the hysterical girl.

Pressure on her shoulder alerted the busty monster that someone had drawn close to her rocking form and so she tried to focus on what was being said. "Mwaaahm, mwah mwaaaah-ono. Oi, Kurono…dammit Kurumu, listen! You need to breath and calm down!" Her anger spiked as she slapped at the hand, flesh slapping soundly against flesh in her freshly cleared ears. How dare they ask her to calm down!

Moka suddenly growled and stalked past Tamao as she once again tried to get Kurumu's attention, grabbing the injured blonde from her grip and knocking the succubus away. The overpowering metallic scent of blood flooded her nostrils and it took all of her willpower to keep herself focused and not have a taste. With a small sigh, the vampire placed her ear almost fearfully against his chest, listening for any sign of life as she tried not to injure him further.

**Lub…dup**

There it was. It was faint, very faint, but there was still a heartbeat. "**We need to move him. Now.**" She ignored Kurumu as the sex monster wiggled in Tamao and Tsukune's combined grip, trying to break free and sink her extended claws into the girl's pretty little neck. How dare she be so uncaring with her beloved's wounds! Plus the bitch just went and tossed her away! "**We need to transport him to the infirmary quickly or he may expire.**" That got the girl to give up on her revenge and refocus.

Moka hooked her arms underneath his armpits as Kurumu grabbed his legs, now wearing the boy's green jacket as her wings had retracted. Both easily lifted the injured male with their enhanced strength. The only reason one of them hadn't merely grabbed him and ran was the simple fact they could exacerbate his wounds. Tamao had her hands cupped underneath his back to keep Naruto steady in transport as Tsukune ran ahead to alert the staff. The group moved off at a steady pace, hoping their slow movement wouldn't contribute to his cause of death.

On the other side of the building, a pair of brightly glowing eyes twinkled oddly as they surveyed the scene. Giving an appreciative whistle, the Bus Driver scratched underneath his cap before readjusting the hat snug. "**Hmph. Well that could have gone better. But then again it could have been much worse.**"

Reaching down, the man picked up a steaming hot item that turned out to be Gin's wayward necklace before gingerly placing the charm in his pocket. A groan at his side caused him to remember his own injured package. With a sigh he readjusted his grip on the unconscious werewolf strewn over his shoulder and walked away, humming merrily to himself as the two were swallowed up by the darkness of the school.

He better get some kind of overtime for this.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_A/N: I've been waiting for this fight for awhile, as the werewolf/zoanthrope feud will play majorly later on. As you can also see, I've slid Tamao in there. She's sorta just after him for kicks right now but it'll change over time._

_Phew. Now that I've gotten that done, back to Skyrim. Fus Ro Dah!_


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: You should really know by now that I don't own neither Naruto nor Rosario+Vampire

**Chapter 7**:

_The wind blew gently over the landscape, kicking up small clouds of dust and the occasional stray leaf that was known to appear as if by magic. Long silver hair as soft as silk blew about due to the gusts, red eyes watching quietly in case something, anything, happened nearby. The person sighed audibly and looked towards the quiet sky that constituted the air space of their home dimension. So dreary…_

_Akashiya Moka felt at peace and yet…the young girl was bored. For once her younger half-sister Shuzen Kokoa was not trying to drag her into yet another spar and it gave her a significant amount of free time. Both of her parents were off doing older people things, and her elder half-sister Shuzen Kahlua was locked in her room pretending to be a princess. Then there was her third step-sister Shuzen Akua, the eldest and admittedly strangest of the four and not actually their true sibling by blood but by adoption. She was possibly in her room or training her body for battle. Until someone summoned Moka for whatever mundane task was needed, the nearly ten-year old vampire was going to enjoy her time alone._

_But that was the kicker, was it not? She was alone. It felt like a blessing and a curse, constantly hounding her from the shadows and always reminding the monster of her predicament. Her family was classified as S-class, as were all vampires. Nobility even amongst the high ranks. No other ayashi were even deemed worthy enough by her father to interact with them besides other vampiric creatures. Her family seemed to deal well enough but the isolation was slowly driving the pre-teen into unwanted insanity._

_Kokoa had evolved over the years into a super clingy eight-year old that constantly hounded her 'onee-sama' for fights. She loved Moka, yes, but the way she showed it was objective. In her childish mind, beating Moka equated to showing off her strength and thereby gaining her sister's love and admiration…which she already had anyways. In the beginning it helped to keep the girl's combat skills sharp from the constant spars but that slowly become nothing more than a chore. Kokoa did not notice and continued to badger the poor girl, even after getting slammed into the ground hard enough to form a crater post-battle._

_Kahlua's reality had warped from their forced exile until the thirteen-year old frequently found herself lost in a fabricated reality world chock-full of pretty dresses and shiny jewelry. Compared to her siblings she was somehow the most mentally innocent even while being the second oldest. The girl could act her age when she wanted to but she __**very rarely**__ wanted to. Plus she never wanted to fight, being an enigma of her race and abhorring violence which in doing so caused a small rift to form between her and her true sister Kokoa._

_Akua? She was…normal, Moka supposed. As normal as a powerful monster trained in the arts of assassination could be. The fifteen-year old had seen more bloodshed already than her three sisters combined and it was what attracted their father into bringing her into the family in the first place. Better to have the powerful girl with them instead of against them. The female was usually off working on keeping her body in shape and increasing her strength when not with the rest of her family._

_And how did Moka cope? Even she was not exactly sure. She would admit that her days without other acquaintances felt…stifling, to say the least. Could her family be considered her friends? Her sisters? Mom and dad? No, because they were family and that word and those it entailed were considered a constant. Not that they were all frowned upon in her decade of life. She merely ached for variety but it never answered her silent call._

"_Moka-sama? Moka-sama! Ah, there you are! Your father has requested you return to the mansion and freshen up before gathering in the main hall!" The silvernette cocked a slender brow towards the unnamed servant at the odd request but followed nonetheless when he moved to return to the gothic-styled castle in which she lived. By the sound of it they were to have guests. Curious. She would have remembered if someone mentioned anything about new arrivals in passing or over a meal. No matter, she would do what was asked of her like a good little daughter._

_Ten minutes later the young girl had cleaned herself quickly and redressed into something tasteful for greeting their supposed guests. The four children were standing shoulder to shoulder in the large hall of their opulent home. All were standing at attention and completely silent as they awaited both their parents and whatever announcements they were going to give._

_Kahlua was in a silky, pearl-colored ballroom dress with arm length gloves that stood out against her dark skin and wavy, pale yellow curls. Upon her ears were a pair of cross-shaped earrings dotted with small diamonds that acted as her limiters. Kokoa's finery included a dark crimson plaid skirt and white dress shirt with frills and a bow. Her orangish hair was pulled up into twin short pigtails as her jade eyes continuously darted over to her sister. Akua found herself outfitted in a tight fitting, Chinese-styled black dress with gold trim. Her short black hair was pulled into two small tuffs while the rest was left free. The only oddity of notice on the pretty girl was two thin bangs that were pure white, a stark contrast to her natural hair color._

_The final sister had decided on a long-sleeved red dress with lace at the edges. It was simple yet elegant and Moka saw no problem with wearing it. Their parents still had not arrived yet and they were all slowly growing fidgety at stagnant atmosphere that had fallen between the four of them. Finally, Kokoa could not contain herself anymore and furiously whispered to the three at her side._

"_Why are we here? I'm so bored!"_

"_Idiot, stop complaining. Mother and Father asked for us to be here and so we will." Just like the good little girls they were supposed to be. Faceless little dolls that only spoke when spoken to, just as they had been taught. Moka found it to be a hindrance but never voiced her thoughts except in the sole presence of her mother. Punishment from her father was much greater than anything a human would have gone through. The beat down alone would continue until he felt satisfied that they remembered their place in the family and status quo._

"_Aiya~! Now now, you two. It shouldn't be too much longer. We wouldn't be summoned in such a way unless this was important." Akua wagged her finger and winked, smirking lightly before flattening her posture and once again standing perfectly presentable. The other three nodded and moved to match her figure but Kahlua was beginning to bounce on her heels, signifying her own boredom._

"_So who do you think is coming? Maybe someone super strong like daddy, or…-*gasp*- what if it's a handsome prince that is coming to marry one of us?" She nearly swooned at the thought, either missing or ignoring the slight gag coming from her younger sisters and the amused grin from the elder. _

"_Now you're just being dumb. It would have to be a vampire and I don't remember anyone ever saying there were boy vampires around our age." Kokoa scowled and crossed her skinny arms over her chest with an unfeminine grunt. She nearly squeaked in surprise, however, when door leading into the east wing of the mansion slammed open by the force of an annoyed S-class monster._

_Shuzen Issa was a man not known for his patience when he found something that piqued his annoyance. This just so happened to be one of those circumstances. He was a man of proper upbringing and status, always known to be with quick wit and poise associated with that of a noble. But the occasional twitch of his eye gave away the feelings swirling around in his mind._

_He was a strong man, stout in build and height and even considered to be stronger than any other powerful S-class monster. His hair was long, neat, and black due to his power being sealed with a thin beard/moustache combination across his face. His clothing was something once worn by Victorian-era nobles, complete with starched grey jacket with lace cuffs, grey slacks, and a black vest with ruffled lace at his neck. As he strode forward, Moka's eyes lit up but not because her dad had appeared. The true reason was the beauty strolling up a few paces behind the vampire with elegance she herself one day hoped to possess._

_Said beauty was her mother, Bloodriver Akasha. A third of the trio of monsters known throughout the world as the strongest of the strong. __**Period**__. A Dark Lord that all other monsters submitted to in terms of sheer strength, youki, and skill. And she was their leader. Moka could always feel the love emanating from her parent no matter what mood the beautiful vampire was in at the time. Just a few words from her darling daughter and Akasha would perk right. That's not to say she didn't care for the other three daughters even though they were the offspring of another woman who was never around, sans Akua. It was why she took Issa as a lover and mate in the first place; he was the most fit to be at her side out of the other vampires and Shuzen Gyokuro was never around anyways. The other pretty blonde-haired vampire found work to be much more rewarding than family, a view Akasha heartily disagreed with._

_Heeled leather boots clicked upon the polished stone floors as the woman brushed away a few stray wrinkles off of her collared, lacy Victorian-styled red dress that extended a few inches past her feet and caused the monster to bunch up the ends to walk correctly. With long pink hair held up in a loose ponytail and her jovial green eyes taking in the other family members as she moved closer, she portrayed without a doubt the same appearance that her daughter would one day sport in the future whenever her powers were sealed away._

"_Good, good! You're all here and dressed up so cutely!" she gushed, smiling widely down at the four girls. Kokoa and Moka blushed brightly at her praise, Kahlua grinned and twirled one of her bangs with a gloved finger, and Akua gave a short bow. Issa, however, grunted quietly and stood behind the two eldest of the girls with his back ramrod straight._

"_Yes dear. I still must protest this. I cannot believe you went and set this, this…interaction…without consulting me first."_

"_Issa-kun…you're acting too uptight. What will our guests think when they see you doing your best impression of a statue?" she giggled, laying a hand on his arm. The male hummed and allowed his shoulders to drop a few degrees of stiffness though it was minutely noticeable. Such a drop in his personal appearance still did nothing to quell the doubts he still held._

"_Be that as it may, this is still my residence and I would have liked a little forethought in your actions. If such a disgrace were to be found out by the other clans…" His remark was stern as the vampire's mouth edged into a thin line that revealed the points of his canines. Akasha was unperturbed by his quiet forcefulness and snaked her hand up his arm until it rested at the junction of his neck and shoulder. If he had been any less of a monster, the crushing force now being generated against his muscles would have surely caused him to cry out in extreme pain._

"_And need I remind you, __**dear**__, that though our culture revolves around a male-dominated patriarchy, I am quite above such an un-amusing station such as that of a mere housewife I know that you occasionally wish for. One that automatically defers to the husband? __**One that has no free will of her own?**__" As nothing more than her fingertips continued to dig into muscle and bone but without puncturing and causing a bloody mess, the pinkette was grinning as sweetly as if she wasn't currently forcing her will on her mate with nothing more than a hand. All Issa could do was nod and wipe away the sweat that accumulated on his brow when sweet relief was finally given to his poor body._

_The girls were unaware of such whispered interactions between their parents due to the fact that the large hall doors had slowly slid open without a peep. It seemed that their guests had finally arrived and not a moment too soon. Akasha clapped her hands once in joy and placed a hand on Moka and Kahlua's shoulders as she herself did her best to appear welcoming. _

"_Alright, I want everyone to be on their best behavior. I have invited our guests personally and that means the responsibility falls upon me. If the visit goes well, relations between our two races may very well grow stronger than before as it will show the world that not all vampires are pompous blowhards." Issa did his best to appear nonchalant at the shot couldn't help but think it was aimed at him. He loved the woman, he really did. But sometimes…_

_The first through the door was one of the building's many butlers who stood off to the side and bowed, gesticulating with an arm towards his masters. What followed was what would be described as a bear of man, taller than anyone present and looking like he would be more at home roughing it outside than staying within the confines of a castle. Long shaggy white hair that made him look like a vagabond, claw scars that extended from his brow upwards into a metal headband, and odd red markings that looked like tear marks that extended from his eyes down his cheeks. He was dressed in ratty black clothing that had obviously seen better days._

_He smiled and strode forward, crooking an arm against his stomach as he gave a bow of his own. "Hello everyone, I am Jiraiya of the Far Eastern Zoanthropes. My apprentice and I humbly thank you for allowing us to stay here at your home and I hope that Naruto here is able to learn more about your culture and species."_

_A zoanthrope? Animalistic shape-changers that were right up there with vampires on the monster superiority scale? How interesting…but it would seem his statement was flawed._

"_Jiraiya-san, you speak of having an…apprentice but you alone are the only one standing before us." Issa's sentence was dry and un-humorous, more along the lines of stating the obvious with disdain. If anything, his words got the toad monster to turn and do a double-take before sighing and holding up a finger to say 'give me a minute.'_

_Twisting around and moving back towards the entranceway, Jiraiya leaned out into the hall and inhaled sharply before releasing it in one large breath. "BRAT! HOW DID YOU GET LOST? YOU WERE RIGHT BEHIND ME!"_

"_WELL MAYBE IF YOU AND THE BUTLER GUY HAD WAITED FOR ME, I COULD'VE KEPT UP INSTEAD OF TRYING TO FIND MY WAY THROUGH ALL THESE HALLS! WHY DO THEY ALL LOOK THE SAME?" a smaller voice echoed, blowing into the foyer and wavering due to its acoustics. The man grunted and seemed to deflate against the wall as he rubbed the bridge of his nose with his forefinger and thumb. As another sigh escaped his lips he turned to sheepishly smile at the family who were all sporting varying degrees of amusement on their faces._

"_Sorry about that…he's young, only ten years old. He's also an idiot. If you'll excuse me for a moment…" Disappearing through the door with the servant shadowing his steps, the family stayed in silence as they heard the two bellowing at each other every couple of seconds followed by what sounded like a 'whumph' and then silence. By now Issa was staring unblinkingly at the woman at his side. Akasha only hummed and pointedly ignored her mate while continuing to smile, even going as far to give a reassuring grin towards the children when they looked at her in confusion._

_Seconds ticked before the six vampires heard a muffled yelp followed by something sliding along the floor. A small black blur barreled through the doorway and moved on a collision course directly with Moka but even the shiny smooth stones that composed their floor held some degree of friction. With his body curved into a backwards 'U', the person slid along on their face before grinding to a halt at the silver-haired girl's feet and falling flat on his stomach._

"_Ooooooooowwwwww…" the blob grumbled, rising up onto his hands and rubbing at his injured nose which allowed the others to get a good look at their second guest. Bright blue eyes, shiny blond hair that was just as messy as Jiraiya's, and whisker markings across his face. His gaze met Moka's and he grinned, showing off pointy teeth like hers but with more edges, like an animal's fanged jowls. "Uh…hi?"_

_It was the first meeting she ever had with Namikaze-Uzumaki Naruto._

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It was silent. Way too silent. The four teenagers were clustered outside one of the medical building's ICU rooms, awaiting the news of their injured comrade Naruto. The quartet had dragged him there as fast as they could and when the lone doctor Tsukune had found saw the mess he was in, the man literally dropped the mug of steaming coffee in his hands and ushered them towards a gurney. From there they were routed towards the waiting area while the blond boy was subjected to who knows how many treatments.

And all they could do was wait.

Kurumu was the worst off, personifying the rumors of a heartbroken succubus. The big-titted blue-haired girl was seated on top of one of the hall's plush seats as her hands continued playing with the ends of her skirt. She had finally stopped crying but her face was still marked by tear tracks and a sniffle would occasionally escape as she continued her worried vigil.

Tamao was seated next to her, one leg crossed over the other with her hands resting on her knee. While not suffering as badly as Kurumu, the wait was still killing her. While it had originally started out as somewhat of a joke to rile up the succubus at every turn, it didn't mean that the mermaid felt nothing towards the zoan. She _did _think he was good looking and wouldn't mind having a roll in the hay with him (or several) and she had originally stuck around because it was something to do while her own club was recovering. This just put a huge wrench in her plans as now she had to wait even longer to seduce him, and it wasn't like she could just walk away now that the bluenette was so involved.

Tsukune was quietly sitting in one of the single chairs, occasionally sending a glance around at the others before he'd sigh and go back to looking at his hands. Occasionally the human would yawn and close his eyes for a bit before jolting awake as though annoyed at himself for nodding off when his friend was still going through recovery. However, his eyes were mostly re-centering upon the final member of their group with veiled shock each and every time.

Moka was the only one not seating, preferring to stand with her arms across her chest while lost in her thoughts. What shocked Tsukune was the fact that it was still _Inner_ Moka, not_ Outer _Moka. When asked she merely replied that she wished to know of his fate personally instead of hearing it through the gem of her cross. She was rather snarky about being asked but it was attributed to them staying up all night.

Speaking of which, the lot of them were running on fumes and class started in an hour or two. Obviously none would be going. Sleep and sustenance was needed but not until they knew the precarious results hidden behind that doorway. And speak of the devil! It just so happened that in that exact moment the door situated across from them all creaked open with an exaggerated slowness. The physician on attending slipped out before sealing it shut, eyes hidden behind glasses scouring the blond's chart as he scratched at his hair with the free hand. The man's head tilted up and took in the four waiting teenagers, all showing some form of exhaustion and he sighed inwardly. Forgoing their own health while worrying about another…well, it wasn't like he would've acted any differently if someone close to him wound up like the poor boy recovering inside.

"I take it you're all waiting for the results of Namikaze-Uzumaki Naruto?" Dumb question, but he had to ask anyways. At their nods he continued on. "He'll live." The sighs of relief nearly caused the doctor to chuckle. _Almost_. After all, this really was no laughing matter. "He was brought in just in time. We were able to counteract the toxicity in his body and ward the silver poisoning just enough so his own natural defenses could kick start. For a complete report, I'm going to have to ask what happened to lead him into being put in such a precarious situation."

"It was a fight between himself and a lycanthrope. Naruto-san is a zoanthrope and apparently…"

The doctor held up a hand to halt Tsukune from speaking any further, already going back to jotting notes down on the paper. "Ah. Say no more. A werewolf was brought in around the same time as your friend by the school's bus driver but the man didn't say a word. We had to forcibly cause them both to transform back into their human forms and we weren't sure if the other was a zoanthrope or some sort of other lion-type monster. The lycanthrope also had a silver necklace on his person so I can hazard a guess that it was used to weaken Namikaze-Uzumaki-san?" More nods equated to more writing upon the chart. "Okay, that helps fill in some of the plot holes."

"So can we see him or what?" Tamao snapped irritably, causing the doctor to raise an eyebrow but shrug all the same. He was there to heal, not delve into personal matters.

"Yeah, go ahead. But I warn you it should be some time before he wakes up. Until then he'll be unresponsive. I'd say a day or so before he's coherent. Mighty fine thing, a monster's healing ability. If he was something weak like a human there would have been no doubt about it…he'd have died." He gave a small nod before walking away, moving off to check on any other patients before making a copy of the information for future reference.

Those present all felt varied levels of relief knowing Naruto was going to be okay, Kurumu being the most physically liberated. The girl actually deflated somewhat in her seat, back dropping against the wall as she sagged and once again wiped at her eyes. Tamao grinned and got to her feet, Tsukune sighed and rose as well, and Moka…

Moka was no longer in her place.

The clatter of a door coming to rest against its doorjamb was heard by the three followed by the soft click of a lock turning in its bolt to bar entry. The seducer blinked her violet eyes before moving her head back and forth between the vampire's prior spot and the door to her Destined One and before long her tired mind understood what had just taken place and she rose with the intent to do bust straight through.

"Oh, that motherfuc-!" It was an interesting sight, seeing a succubus shorter than most suddenly vault across the hall from a seated position, only to be suddenly subdued by the combined might of a mermaid and human combo. The swimming monster had barred her descent and when they crashed Tsukune had slipped behind her and wormed his arms underneath her armpits and locked them behind her head. The girl struggled heavily against her captives while swearing a blue streak and it wasn't long before the whole mess toppled over in a pile of limbs and bodies as she used her strength to push him off. The boy was the first to untangle himself and jump away, blushing like crazy at being put between both of the girl's developed figures in the way he had, and he was pretty sure he had copped a feel. Well, he'd just keep that to himself.

Tamao had flipped their positions, showing off her rather limber flexibility as she maneuvered into a sitting position upon her rival's back with one of the winged monster's arms crooked into an arm-lock. All Kurumu could do was huff and puff but she just couldn't seem to dislodge her fellow monster. The blasted girl kept readjusting her position to make sure the chesty man-eater couldn't knock her off and Kurumu could swear she _felt_ Tamao's grin even though she couldn't see it.

"Dammit, get off!"

"Why? So you can rip apart the door?" Tamao deadpanned, flipping some of her hair over her shoulder. "We're in a hospital. I know you're worried but you're going to disturb other patients and, more than likely, Naruto-kun by acting the way you are. It's the reason we stopped you in the first place."

"But…but Moka's in there with him! All by herself! Who knows what she's doing in there while he's unconscious?"

"Do you seriously think she's going to hurt him or something? In case you forgot, Akashiya's the one who pretty much saved his life by getting him here while you were having a meltdown. If she wanted him dead or injured, do you really think she would've done that?"

"But she's in there! **ALONE!**"

"You're just jealous it's not you instead."

"YES! Now get off, I can't breathe with you sitting your fat ass on me!"

"Girl, don't make me bitch-slap you because I will." she growled out, a bit peeved at the remark about her behind. It was firm and curvy and _everybody_ knew it. "Maybe if you didn't have beach balls implanted under your skin you wouldn't be having that problem right now."

"They are all natural and you only wish you could be packing such a great chest! Now seriously, get off! I want to be the one alone with Naruto-kun!"

"Akashiya's getting her own period, so why not us? You can have time alone with him and so will I. It's only fair."

"Hell no!"

The two continued to bicker back and forth as Tsukune returned to his seat and watched them snipe at each other. It looked like they had more waiting to do since Moka had disappeared into Naruto's room without so much as a word. But…why _did_ Moka do that? It was very odd and more than likely he would never know the answer. Inner Moka was the more secretive of the two and still considered him beneath her and something drastic would have to happen between them before he could ever be seen as a confidant. But for now, all he could do was sit and wait while listening to two girls insult each other with some rather nasty zingers. He still didn't know whether to be jealous of the blond or worried for his sanity.

Probably both.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**RRRK-TTT**

**CLICK**

That was easier than she thought. But then again, walking into the room _was_ the easy part. Specialized ears picked up the sounds of a scuffle outside as well as shouts muffled by wood and plaster and the vampire smirked, knowing that the succubus was more than likely trying to get in. Too bad for her. The pretty female decided that since she was the one to basically get Naruto to the medical area while the others panicked, she would be the first to see him. Besides, she had somewhat of a bone to pick with him, awake or not.

It was also something she would not let anyone else bear witness to.

Moka finally released her grip on the door handle and turned in her spot, stopping abruptly as her eyes took in the full sight of the lion zoanthrope. She knew the damage was bad but this seemed ridiculous. Nearly his whole upper half not covered by the blanket was wrapped in bandages and there was machine after machine attached to him in some way. He appeared peaceful, chest rising and falling with every breath and as she moved to his side she couldn't help but wonder if his injured state lied with her.

Yes, the battle had originally been between her and Gin but she had stepped back and allowed the zoan to step in when he had appeared. Was she at fault for allowing the death match? The girl was unsure why she was thinking of such oddness when it was part of their innate nature to fight and kill things that were against them. Hs muscles would stitch. His limbs would heal. He would recover, stronger than before. In fact, it was almost insulting that he was hurt in such a way, never mind that his opponent felt the brunt of his attack and was more than likely in a worse situation.

So then why was she frowning?

"**Still an idiot, I see. Taking such unnecessary risks just to ensure your victory. To see you lying in such a state brings shame upon our monster rank.**" A hand moved to caress his face but stopped just short of its goal as she fought every fiber of her being to not continue with the course of action. Even privately, it was against Moka's strict upbringing to show such softness.

Such weakness.

This wasn't her room. _Her sanctuary_. It gave the monster no sense of security and therefore she had to continue exuding all of the collected style that vampires were known for. And so, she refrained with the barest of sighs. More so a small release of air more than anything else. Instead, the beautiful female slid smoothly into the unoccupied chair and crossed one leg over the other while making sure nothing private was exposed, even as her skirt rode high on her shapely legs.

It was an annoyance she had to deal with whenever she and her counterpart changed places. When the vampire's youki was sealed away, her body would shrink to accommodate the lack of energy circling throughout her system. Ergo, she 'swelled' upon release and it caused any clothing that fit Pink Moka to grow tight upon her. Such a bother. It didn't help that fighting style involved a large amount of kicking.

Woe is the problems of a teenage vampire.

A soft mumble came from the boy's enclosed mouth and caused her to jolt from her preening, a near nonexistent flutter appearing in her chest and surprising even herself. He was merely a friend from her youth, nothing more. Even though he had done the damn near impossible; befriended her and made her time at the castle more enjoyable even though she had acted like it was all a chore. That was before things had turned sour and her own reality changed due to being sealed away. It was even a battle to recall such things from her subconscious. It took the combination of the mentioning of his name, his feral looks while partially transformed, and him calling himself her friend to break through whatever barrier her rosario had erected within her psyche to dreg up the buried memories.

Just…a friend.

The poor shiny-haired vampire was lying to herself.

He had appeared one day, forced her to open up, and granted her wish. Seeing the other females hanging off of him all of the time annoyed her to no end but she chalked it up to having to watch him (an S-ranked superior) bear with such inferior monsters. It was like her own problems with having that fool of a human constantly around her and her doppelganger. In actuality it was because she found the zoanthrope intriguing. His power was rather intoxicating. Hell, he even took the time to speak with her _just_ to speak with her.

Naruto even went ahead and got to know her pink-scalped counterpart when, in essence, she was only a protective shell that would one day no longer be needed. The time would have been better spent just interacting with her instead. A pity too, because now would have been the perfect time to speak if not for him being in a coma. Instead she felt a trickle of worry worm through her chest as once again her crimson eyes scanned over his injuries. She hadn't felt such an emotion for someone else since her mother disappeared. It was so unbecoming of her to act his way but she just couldn't help it.

She would admit (in the lockdown of her own thoughts where not even Outer Moka could hear her) that he had the qualities of a potential mate. Taking one outside of the blood-drinking species was not abhorred or forbidden, but highly frowned upon. The monster had to be strong, that was a given. And after witnessing the fight between Naruto and Gin…the idea cemented itself in her mind. If the blond hadn't been deathly weakened by the silver and severely handicapped in the process, the winner would have been a no brainer once he started using his youki-manipulation. They had originally given into their instincts and were going at it like cats and dogs, no pun intended. Had the two of them decided to fight with their minds right from the beginning, Gin's speed would have eventually been overcome by Naruto's energy might.

The memory of his overbearing presence sent a questionable thrill rolling up her spine.

A sparse tingling in her fingertips gave Moka reason to frown as her lips drew into a thin line of annoyance. For some time now she had been idly rolling the rosario around with her fingertips while lost in her thoughts and watching the zoan rest. She cursed her seal and the amount of time she was allowed to be 'awake' before the metallic cross began to lose its original purpose. For nearly the whole night and start of the next day she had been the dominant personality, and because of that Outer Moka would likely suffer for it.

Red eyes sought out whiskered cheeks and it caused her to shake her head. No. The exposure had been for a good cause. For the safety of her acquaintance/friend/mate-to-be, whatever label she was going with at the time. Standing now the girl softly trailed her hand along the cottony bed sheet until it rested near his own. For one sweet second she damned the consequences and gently grabbed it, entwining her fingers with the unresponsive ones. It was warm even with the bandages. She liked it.

The action ended not a moment later as she pulled back and smoothed out her jacket, slightly flustered at her own audacity. "**The next time we are alone you and I shall be having words…and I do hope you'll be conscious for our encounter.**" Turning on her heel Moka walked towards the door and left without looking back as her silver locks fanned out behind her. She would have to speak with her bubbly side as well. But for now, she needed to rest.

All eyes were instantly upon her as she exited the room, questions burning in their gazes but the vampire merely ignored them and clipped her inhibitor back upon her choker. "**Take care of my other half.**" she spoke simply and then she was gone, falling into the arms of Tsukune who had rushed forth to aid her. Moka smiled in her sleep as familiar rose-colored hair framed her face, unaware of the emotional (for her) dilemma she had technically just undergone.

The brunet took her inside and laid her upon one of the empty beds as the two other girls hovered on either side of Naruto's bed. Kurumu had latched onto his hand and wasn't letting go anytime soon. Tamao was leaning against his pillow with her arms folded underneath her bust as she stared quietly at his bandaged body. Tsukune was resting at the foot of Moka's bed, once again wondering if he was way in over his head for deciding to stay here at Youkai Gakuen. Seriously. The shit he had been through ever since getting on that blasted bus trumped anything else from his fifteen years of life.

"Nya…how is he doing?"

Faux ears twitched from their spot atop her head as Nekonome poked her head inside the room. The entire faculty had been alerted to the fight and its results so they had reason to answer any questions that would be brought up by nosy students. Seeing as Naruto was both her actual student and member of the Newspaper Club, she deemed it necessary to pop in and see how he was. By the looks of it, not so well…but appearance wasn't everything.

"He just has to rest and he'll be awake sometime tomorrow. At least that's what the doctor said." Tsukune answered, resting his cheek in his palm. The teacher nodded and looked at the four other school members and felt herself frown. With a quick readjustment of her glasses she addressed the group with authority. After all, she was the adult and they all looked quite haggard.

"I suggest you all get some shut eye yourselves. By the looks of it you've all been up all night. Poor Moka-chan's already passed out." she pouted, getting a roll of the eyes from Tamao. Well, she was sort of right about that.

"You can all go. I'm not leaving." It was said with finality, and now that Kurumu was beside her love there was no way she was leaving him now.

"May I suggest something? If you're all not going to class then why not at least go and freshen up first? Perhaps take a shower and get something to eat? After that you could always come back here. You could stay until visiting hours are over if you wish. Also…maybe if it's not too much trouble you could stop by the club after the school day is out? I hate to ask this but we need to get started on the first issue already and I'll help as well…"

After much deliberation, it was finally decided. They would do as Nekonome-sensei asked, at least for that day. Tsukune and Tamao were the first to leave, deciding they would get some sleep first before doing anything else. Shizuka took Moka back to her room, knowing the student's room numbers as was expected of her and the pinkette already had the key in her pocket. Kurumu was the last to depart with some difficulty, as if her body was fighting against her brain and nearly dragging her back to his side like a magnet. She would go and change but then she'd be right back in there with him, even sleeping there if she had to. It was just how she was now, knowing that her Destined One was suffering and needed her.

Five minutes later when all was silent and the coast was clear, the door of Naruto's room once again creaked open as someone entered. Rubber soles padded against the tiles as a long mane of purple hair lowered until it was level with the bedside. Mizore's sucker wobbled in her mouth as she sighed and rested her chin on top of her arms, bluish eyes looking at all the machines that were now a part of the blond. It took them long enough to leave. The yuki-onna was nearly falling asleep in her hiding spot as she waited for them to move their asses.

She couldn't even sneak in without raising an alert. ICU rooms here only had one way in and his didn't have any windows so the snow woman had been waiting down the hallway underneath one of the couches. "You really banged yourself up didn't you…" she mumbled, watching as his breath fogged up the oxygen mask positioned over his mouth. "At least you didn't die. I would've been angry."

If he had been awake she didn't know whether to slap him or kiss him again. Probably both. She couldn't exactly marry him and steal him away from the others if he was dead.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"_Cripes, you're uptight! Come on, don't you want to play or something?"_

"_I already told you. No. Go find one of my sisters instead."_

"_No way! Kokoa only wants to fight, Kahlua tried to put me in a dress-A DRESS- and Akua thinks I'm some sort of kitty cat because of my whiskers and then acts like I'm a pet. So no thanks."_

"_Well I'm busy."_

"_Busy. Riiiiiiiiight…" Naruto scoffed and looked around. If by busy she meant 'walk around a barren landscape' then Moka was dead on. It had been three days since Naruto and Jiraiya had graced the vampires with their presence and already the boy was finding it somewhat dull. After their introductions, the two zoanthropes had been whisked away to be fitted for new clothing. Rags were not becoming for monsters of their stature or something like that. The young blond was confused; they still fit him and he wasn't naked so what did it matter?_

_Then while the tailor was fixing up their new fancy outfits, Issa had Naruto and Moka spar right there in the hall. He had wanted to refuse but the vampire was lord of the castle and Naruto couldn't deny such a request, even though he really wanted to. Why make them fight? Wasn't he supposed to be learning about them? Because he learned they were really pushy._

_The two had duked it out and Naruto had come out the victor, mostly because he was much faster than little Kokoa and the silver-headed girl was used to fighting a slow target with a big weapon. In fact it was the reason why she kept giving him the cold shoulder over the past few days but like a dog he continued to follow her around. Her father was quite disappointed with her performance but he saw it as a reason to finally start her on higher-level training once their guests left. She was unsure whether to thank Naruto or continue her solitude of ignoring him. He just saw it a challenge to get her to speak now that he had time to do so._

_Naruto had personally gone around already and spoke with the six members of the house to gain information about their species and personalities, but their mother Akasha was the only one to not treat him oddly. Kokoa, as he said, was both miffed that the boy had beaten her sister as well as nearly gone gaga at the fact __**he had beaten. Her. Sister.**__ So now the girl shadowed him everywhere, trying to get him to teach her the skills to win. In fact she was there right now, hiding behind one of the many rocks while watching the both of them. Moka's tail had a tail. Ironic._

_Kahlua had been second in line as she had seemed the most welcoming besides Akasha. That turned out to be a terrible idea as the moment she had allowed him to enter her room he was dragged inside and forced to be a 'prince' in whatever game she had been playing. Time wore on and he found himself sitting at the foot of her bed wearing a princely crown (one of her tiaras) but the bubbly vampire had eventually grown tired of such a farce. When the other dress had been pulled from her closet he had high-tailed it out of there after thanking her for her time. Now whenever the two crossed paths, the darker-skinned pre-teen would pout and Naruto would grin sheepishly before finding somewhere else to go. He had the feeling that sooner or later he would wind up in her clothes and it scared him._

_Akua had taken to calling him a cat. Simple as that. She was nice enough and allowed him to practice against her but the oldest sister would always wind up knocking him around while calling him silly little nicknames. The damn woman had once even knocked his legs out from under him, pulled him into a lock, and then began rubbing her cheek against the top of his head while going on about 'cute little kitties' or some other crazy thing. Just wait until his mane grew in! Then he'd show her a how much of a kitty he was!_

_Issa was calm, collected, and rather distant in their conversation. He had always been straight to the point, explaining their history and the abilities of their almighty race. The man spoke as though he were doing Naruto a favor by telling him all of this instead of sating his curiosity. The child would have thought him to be a machine if not for the few times he had seen the male interact with his family. The love conveyed in his glances and veiled behind his sentences proved he actually had a heart hidden underneath all of that clothing and bluster._

_Akasha…she was so much like his own mother it was maddening. They were both scary powerful redheads (even though hers was very light red. Plus they were downright terrifying when they both wanted to be) and could flip the switch to being a doting mother in the blink of an eye. She was the nicest out of all of them, ignoring the forced politeness given to the zoan by all their servants, and he found himself spending most of the time interacting with her. At least the woman could express emotion when talking about her family and race. But spending time with the pink-haired beauty eventually grew dull (a fact that Jiraiya did not share at all) and it inevitably led to his wanderings. His target? The final vampire of the house._

_And so here they were._

_Among the rocks._

_Watching her as she walked around without a purpose._

"_Is this what you do all day? Why don't you go find some of your friends and do something fun?" Naruto noticed her mouth twitch downward and it gave him an all too familiar feeling. Why did every place he visit seem to be full of kids who didn't have peers their own age? It caused him to sigh at the thought. "Sorry, I didn't mean to offend you."_

"_I'm not offended. I have my sister and parents. What need do I have of friends?"_

"_Because we're kids? Because it's a part of our life?" he deadpanned while hopping over to her side. The girl turned and fixed him with a small glare, placing her small fists against her sides to try and look intimidating._

"_I'm a vampire. I'm different than other children."_

"_So? I'm a zoanthrope. I'm different too. Everyone's different. Doesn't mean that you automatically don't need friends." Moka only scoffed at his advice, getting him to stick out his jaw in annoyance. Kurumu wasn't this bad and Mizore had pretty much joined him at the hip after he had knocked her out of her funk and promised to meet her in the flower field when they were older. A weird request but he would do it for her._

_But Moka…_

"_It doesn't mean that I do, also."_

"_Would you like to be my friend?"_

"_Excuse me?" Her voice was breathy, caught completely off guard by his sudden and rather straight-to-the-point statement. Was that how it happened? You just asked? The concept seemed so strange to her, but then again how would she know? She didn't have any. Still, her pride wouldn't just allow him to become her very first. He had to earn it._

"_Would. You like. To. Be. My friend?" he reiterated more slowly, enunciating each word carefully to make sure she heard him clearly this time. She heard him alright and it caused her anger to spike at how he went about mocking her._

"_Don't take that tone with me, I heard you the first time…you just caught me off guard. Why would I want to be your friend anyways? You're just an annoying feline." She jumped to the top of the boulder Kokoa was hiding behind, getting the girl to silently gush in awe at how her 'Onee-sama' made it in one leap. Naruto was left at the base, grinding his teeth together at once again being called by his species. He got it. He was a cat. A __**big**__ cat. But did they really have to use it in a condescending way?_

_Not one to be left behind he jumped up after Moka and landed at her side before pointing at her in a flourish. She wanted to be stubborn? Then dammit he was going to play hardball!_

"_That's it! You're on, Moka! I swear that by the time Ero-gama and I leave here, I will bet that you will be my friend! …and willingly admit it!" he amended hastily. The girl went about ignoring his boast, airily agreeing as though such a thing was a chore for her to say. He grunted in response and stared her down but it turned into him trying to burn a hole through the back of her head. Why had she turned towards an angle that neither Naruto nor even Kokoa could see? Simple, really;_

_So they couldn't see the smile that had grown upon her face._

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Oh god it hurt. The pain wasn't from his limbs. It wasn't from his head. No…it was in his chest and radiated outward like a broken pane of glass. Silver poisoning was a bitch. He was a man that liked to do things at least once so he could claim to have the experience as well as just know the knowledge of what it was like. But this…no goddamn fucking way in any hell was he **ever** going to allow a bloody piece of pure silver to touch his skin again.

A hazy memory surfaced in his mind of his buddy Kiba once telling him about how one of his relatives had contracted it in his youth and had complained on end about how it was a bitch to have. Kiba thought he was over-exaggerating. So did Naruto. Next time he saw the mutt he was going to deck him one for making him think that.

His youki was back on track; that much he knew. The energy flowing through his body was once again calm without error. Cracking open a bleary blue eye, Naruto was able to see his body was completely covered in wrappings and he figured the healing factor had kicked in at some point after the poison was extracted. The bandages seemed to be somewhat of an overkill but then again, it wasn't like he was awake to tell the healers that. His burns would fix themselves…what he was worried about was his chest.

A soft whimper at his side caused the blond to crane his neck and see something that brought a sad smile to his face. Kurumu had pulled herself into a ball in the chair at his side, dressed in what looked like her pajamas, and one hand was somehow outstretched towards his own. So that's why he couldn't move his arm…the girl had his hand in a death grip and wouldn't be letting go any time soon. His humor died, however, when he blinked away the haze in his vision and was able to take a closer look at his friend.

On her feet were a set of fuzzy blue slippers the color of her hair partially hidden by a pair of baggy dark blue pajama bottoms. Somehow the succubus had forced her chest inside of a very tight white t-shirt that he was surprised hadn't ripped at the seams or burst apart by the obvious strain being emitted. But his eyes were miraculously locked on her face and hands. Her hair was loose of its ponytail and curtained around her face which showed a large amount of discomfort and distress, a few faint trails darkening the skin underneath her eyes and cheeks. She had been crying and it immediately forced the zoan to feel terrible. He'd have to do something to make it up to her.

And Mizore because he automatically knew she was aware of his hospitalization.

And probably Tamao…maybe?

Tsukune? Nah. If he had to do something to make the other boy of their group feel better then something was seriously wrong with their relationship. He'd buy him a soda or something and feel damn grateful about it.

Moka?...well there was two of them and the possibility at this time of both of them now knowing of his fate was very high. One would probably cry and the other would possibly hate the fact that he had knocked himself out to try and win. His free hand reached up to scratch his arm and the sudden sting caused him to hiss at the exposure. His finger had snagged one of the needles in his skin and moved it into a different position and now it hurt. Then one of the most brilliant ideas he ever had in his life came to mind, discounting the fact he was still being pumped full of painkillers and drugs.

The IV's had to go.

One by one he pulled them free until all that remained was his oxygen mask and, sadly enough, catheter. No way in hell he was pulling that thing out while he was still conscious. Removing the machine that pumped pure air into his airway soon after, the blond carefully began unwinding the bandages over his skin so he could see the extent of the damages. His currently ditzy mind had a feeling that there was going to be quite the scar in the middle of his chest and his curiosity had won out.

The very first thing Kurumu heard upon waking was the soft mutterings of her beloved as he pulled the sticky wraps off of his body and the power in her grip increased threefold. The sudden pressure change forced him to pause and look at her once again, and when he gave her a grin it was as if her heart went into overdrive. If she hadn't known any better she would have swore she was going into cardiac arrest. Her body left her perch in the blink of an eye and was instantly straddling the blond, breasts smashed flat against his body as she forced her lips upon his. She didn't care that her appearance was less than stellar, nor did she care that she was utterly pissed at him for nearly dying.

The succubus just had to convey her feelings before she exploded.

Surprise etched itself on his face as the girl damn near shoved her tongue down his throat but the feeling didn't last very long. He began to return it to help comfort her and the bluenette moaned into their embrace, rubbing herself against his body as close as she could without the two of them becoming one whole entity. Against her better judgment she pulled away with a small trail of saliva bridging the space between them as she smiled, showing off every single tooth she could as yet another tear escaped from her closed eyes.

"Hey…sorry for worrying you, Kurumu-chan." The girl nodded weakly and moved a hand against his cheek before moving lower and lower. He suddenly shrieked as her finger formed a vice grip on the nipple still hidden underneath his bandaged visage and began to twist with extreme force. "OW! Owowowow! Why?"

"**I swear to god if you do anything like that ever again I will force you back into your lion form and shave every hair from your body before making you run through your village during rush hour. And then I'll rip your whiskers out of your face one by one with my bare hands. And then! Ohhhhh, then I'm going to-**"

"GAH STOP! I'M SORRY AND I WON'T DO IT AGAIN! I PROMISE! JUST STOP GIVING ME A TITTY TWISTER!" His howls of pain were horrifying and the doctor who was hovering just outside the door paused in his quest to turn the knob, wisely deciding to blink and walk away for the time being. They were busy and by the sounds of it his patient was surprisingly awake and coherent. If he could scream such a thing then he had the time to go and finish his rounds before reexamining him.

Content for now, the girl finally released him from his hell and gently rubbed his cheek, causing him to sigh and internally whine about how he was now in more pain. The succubus didn't seem to care, more focused on the fact that Naruto was _indeed_ alright and she wasn't dreaming. Her heart was no longer pained and pure happiness filled its empty spot. It made her giggly.

"Of course. Because if you did then you'll make your Kurumu-chan sad, right? You don't want that, do you?"

"Of...of course not."

"Good." She leaned forward and snuggled her face into his exposed neck. Underneath the bed, one prone Shirayuki Mizore was quietly seething below the mattress. She had been having a pleasant dream about her and her blond friend when suddenly the whole bed shook like crazy and the sound of heavy making out reached her ears. This was followed by shrieks of pain, _Naruto's pain_, which was being caused by the boob monster. She glared at a nearby dust bunny, imagining it as being her blue-haired love rival and swiftly crushing it between her fingers. If only…

That should've been her up there.

Actually…

"Do you mind? I'd rather you **not** hurt Naruto-kun anymore after all he's been through."

"Wagh!" Kurumu actually flipped off of her spot on top of Naruto as said boy recoiled at the sudden intrusion. He had no idea Mizore was in his room and when her head suddenly popped up from the side, he jumped. Then he hissed as he felt his chest contort painfully at the action, causing both of the girls to look on in worry.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah…yeah. You just caught me by surprise, Mizore-chan."

"YOU!" Kurumu recovered in an instant, halfway back on the bed as she pointed at the yuki-onna with a wary gaze. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Why wouldn't I check on the man I care for?" came the cool reply. Such an answer caused the seducer to gasp and then up her glare tenfold. Oh hell no. Naruto actually stared at the purplenette with his mouth in the shape of a small 'O'. It looked like she had actually decided on what she wanted. Ergo, him. How exactly was he supposed to handle this?

"No. No way. I already have to fight with the stupid mermaid and now you're rejoining? I thought you went looking for someone else, snow woman."

"I did. But I decided against it in the end."

Purple eyes flickered into astonished blue ones as Kurumu jabbed her finger at Naruto. "And you! Stop attracting other girls and making it more difficult for me!"

The zoanthrope broke his gaze from Mizore and turned his head to look at the succubus, confusion on his face as his shoulders rose and fell in a shrug. "But I don't even know how I'm doing it."

"Well…stop anyways!" The two girls continued their arguing as Naruto took the time to finally remove his bandages. Cloth fell off of his shoulders, followed by his arms and then lastly chest. The sight caused him to grimace and the females to break off from their banter, eyes widening upon seeing what was paining him so. Seared into his torso was an angry starburst-shaped scar that was still tender to the touch. Now _that_ was going to pain him for awhile longer.

"Oh…my…"

Naruto was able to sum it up better than Kurumu could, clicking his tongue and moving to rewrap his chest now that he knew the extent of the damages. "Well shit. That's going to be fun explaining to my mom and dad."

"Poor baby…here, let me help." With a light blush lighting up her face, Mizore moved to his side and placed a hand on the wound. Originally he grunted as the palm pressed against his skin but suddenly sighed in contentment when her body's coolness transferred over onto himself. Gentle fingers began winding the bandage around his torso once again and all he had to do was lean forward thanks to the help of the female.

"Guess I better let that heal some more…thanks, Mizore-chan." The girl smiled at his praise, continuing her ministrations as Kurumu stood by grinding her teeth. She would have jumped in to help while subtly (read: push violently) taking the place of the ice girl but if it turned into a fight, the one who would suffer the most was Naruto. While not hooked up the machines anymore because of his own choice, he was still considerably weak and any tussling could inadvertently involve him.

So she let it happen.

For now.

"This has been nagging at me since you were hurt, but how come you never mentioned you were weak against silver?"

"Yeah! Unlike vampires, the zoanthropes don't actually have that much information about them personally. Just history and basic facts. What if someone gave you something with silver in it without knowing it could kill you? Why didn't you tell us?" Kurumu took that moment to reenter the conversation and reaffirm that she was, in fact, still there. Naruto looked between the two of them before the lion sighed and leaned back against his pillow to try and gain some comfort.

"Well…it slipped my mind." The boy chuckled sheepishly as the two girls shared a glance with their feud momentarily forgotten, silently agreeing that he might have been really cute but he was also an idiot. "I didn't think it was going to be a problem, truthfully. Never ran into such a predicament before…"

"Warn me about things like that, okay?" Both girls responded in unison before locking eyes again. The blond closed his own and tried to slip back under his covers where it was nice and warm, and away from the two girls who looked about ready to begin pulling each other's hair. Oh, wait. There they go. Wow, Mizore got a rather large handful and, oh! That was a dirty move, Kurumu.

Whispering a silent prayer, the zoan reached out to try and split them apart.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Wow. It looks like I missed something big. You couldn't have waited for me?" Tamao was smirking rather heavily as she, Tsukune, and a bleary-eyed Moka entered Naruto's hospital room for the second time, coming across two very flustered and disheveled females and one stock-still Naruto with wide eyes. "And who is this?" she asked, doing a double take upon seeing the purplenette in stripes.

"…Shirayuki Mizore." The girl inched lower until only her eyes and the top of her head were visible above the edge of the bed. Kurumu huffed and ran a hand through her messy hair, sitting on the other side while still making sure she was close enough to Naruto.

"Apparently another one of Naruto's friends from his youth and another girl trying to edge in on my man." she huffed. The busty female suddenly jumped when a clump of snow materialized in the air and dropped unceremoniously on the top of her head. She shook her fist at the now smiling yuki-onna but nothing else came from it. For now.

"So there was a fight. Not anything new. But why is Naruto-kun acting like a statue?"

"Oh…yeah…" Both girls immediately turned a shade of red as Naruto's eyes closed slowly. Inhaling, the boy's head turned lazily until he was staring at them all with a far-off view.

"I hate this doctor. I want to leave. If I hadn't been trapped here, I would've already escaped." They didn't see the problem though. "I had a catheter in me…" Oh. That explained it. But why were the girls acting so embarrassed? "The good doctor didn't seem to care if they were here or not when he took the damn thing out." Tamao was instantly in their faces at the revelation, eyes wide and jaw set before she jabbed a finger against Kurumu's bountiful chest while making sure the nail dug in slightly.

"What? You're saying you got an eyeful of his dick and I wasn't here?" The mermaid wanted to rip the smug look right off of the succubus' face. That was totally unfair! Tsukune cleared his throat, aghast at how blunt the swimmer was being…again. Moka's face had taken on a red hue due to the influx of her favorite liquid and she was trying to do her best from looking at the blond while the boy attempted to try and help his friends by abruptly changing the subject.

"S-so, besides the obvious, how are you? It's about two days now since you fought Gin-sempai."

"Ugh…nearly one hundred percent!" He suddenly squeaked when both Kurumu and Mizore barely touched his bandaged chest. Biting his tongue to keep from yelling again, the boy merely twitched in his spot until the offending digits were removed to allow him a reprieve. "_See?_" he choked out, getting all females present to roll their eyes in unison. Why did guys have to always act like pain was something akin to a gentle breeze? Friggin' machismo. If you're hurt, you're hurt. Don't try and bullshit.

"He's lying as you can obviously tell. The silver left a wicked scar on his chest and the only part of him that hasn't fully sealed up yet."

"That's something I've been wondering about. I thought silver hurt werewolves…at least that's what I've heard." Tsukune scratched his chin after asking the question, feeling like an idiot in front of the others. One of the human myths was that silver bullets could kill the shape-changing canines but Gin was wearing a silver necklace like it was no big deal. Was the poisoning the same between the two or, unlike the zoans, did the lycanthropes have to somehow get the metal injected inside of them?

Naruto coughed, knowing exactly why the boy was asking. Luckily the others seemed just as curious and Mizore and Kurumu had asked him before...so that gave him an outlet to answer without outing the lone human on his species as well answer them. Taking a slow yet deep breath the blond collected his thoughts before delving into the history he knew thanks to his parents and studying.

"This story took place in the late 1700's, early 1800's. There was once a female lycan that was captured by zoans in battle and she was kept prisoner for years. Naturally, POW's on either side were treated harshly and women were no exception to the rule. She was raped repeatedly by some of the soldiers who saw the wolves as nothing but failures and in time she became pregnant. She was allowed to keep her child, but the father wanted nothing to do with his new son. Time passed and after years of living in squalor the mother succumbed to her physical and mental wounds. Her son became enraged, finally snapping and killing the man and a few of the other zoans before escaping away to Great Britain's countryside. There the boy tried to eke out a living only for humans to spot him transforming on several occasions during the full moon. The energy that radiates off of the moon causes a werewolf's youki to condense and charge up, making them rather rabid and antsy and so they transform to burn off excess energy."

"It's also where the human myth of werewolves only transforming due to the full moon came from since that was the only time of the month where they witnessed him change. Any who, the humans attempted to kill the monster but both guns and melee weapons barely seemed to injure him in its frenzied state. He terrorized their homes for months until the richest man in town decided to take a chance. Having heard stories of the bunyip creature from travelers and merchants who had met with aboriginals, he decided the werewolf was a supernatural creature that opposed God or some kind of demon or whatever the hell they believed back then. He was quite the religious nut or something. Silver was considered a holy item and the man always kept a loaded pistol with specially made bullets crafted from pure silver on his mantel. It was originally there for show but the villagers had nothing left to lose."

"On the next sighting of the rogue werewolf they cornered the beast. Though people were killed the posse was still able to keep him from escaping. The holy man drew his gun and fired, hitting the speedy ayashi with a lucky shot to the heart. Normally any monster can taking a direct hit there as long as they receive treatment for the wound in at least a day and a half, seeing as those muscles are as reinforced as any other part of our bodies…but due to the werewolf's mixed genes the silver bullet that pierced his heart caused a severe allergic reaction, constricting the heart valves and forcing it to seize up. The humans watched as it died within a minute from a severe allergic reaction to the silver."

"We all know that the human ideas for killing a monster are skewed especially seeing as how Moka-chan hasn't turned to ash for being near a cross, nor bursting into flames whenever sunlight hits her skin." The girl smiled lightly at that but it didn't last long. The boy coughed again and took a long pull form a nearby glass of water before shrugging and relaxing into his bed. "So yeah. That's it really. One account of a werewolf with zoanthrope allergies and the basic story sticks around for centuries."

The others remained silent, digesting the new information given to them as Naruto struggled not to itch his bandages. Why did it have to be irritating? Tsukune idly took a glance at the clock before blinking and checking again. It was that time already? Good heavens. "Um, everyone…it's time to go and help out Nekonome-sensei again."

"What's going on?"

"She came to see how you were doing yesterday but also asked if we could spare some time to work on the newspaper. Apparently the newest issue is supposed to be released soon and we only started on it the day before."

"Oh. Well I'm in." Naruto hopped out of his bedding only to stumble slightly and straighten up. "I'm good. Legs were just asleep." he amended quickly to once again try and save face. When no one called him on it the lion turned and looked around. "Could someone go and check me out, please? I hate staying in hospitals longer than I need to."

"I'll do it!" Moka chirped, raising her hand as if she were in class before heading out the door. With one problem down, now he only needed to fix up the glaring issue left rearing its ugly head. It looked like they just threw out his clothes after the battle, more than likely because they were barely hanging on. For all intents and purposes he was naked save for the annoying gown they forced patients to wear. In that moment he spun around upon remembering the damn things opened in the back only to see the others looking at him with different emotions. Tamao was smirking rather heavily again, Mizore's eyes were locked onto him in that unnerving stare she could produce, Kurumu was grinning way too much, and Tsukune was covering his eyes.

At least he was safe from being assaulted by one of them.

"Right…I need to stop at my room before I do anything else." Naruto wondered how fast he could run before the motions would cause his chest to act up. "I don't like moving around without any pants."

"I don't have a problem with it." Three different voices spoke at the same time before the trio of girls dropped into yet another staring contest. Couldn't they ever just get along? Was it too much to ask? Why was he asking questions that already had answers?

"I'll take you, Naruto-kun." Tamao purred before her path was blocked by her fellow blue-hair. And so began Round 2.

"Back off, fish crotch. How many times do we have to go over this?"

"Until we get it through **your** thick skull that you can't win." As mermaid and succubus dropped back into their verbal battle, Naruto was dragged out the door by the shy yuki-onna who saw it as a large opportunity. Tsukune tailed them if only to get away from the fighters (again) and to tell Moka they were leaving. It took a few minutes before the girls realized they were now alone and vowed to finish their spat later after getting the blond away from the ice-user. All bets were off though when Naruto was back in neutral territory.

"And…there we go. Is that all?"

"Yes, thank you."

"Have a nice day." The receptionist gave a quick smile before going back to whatever she was doing on the computer. Moka blinked as the person seemingly acted like she was no longer there before turning and walking away. On the plus side the vampire herself was feeling a bit better herself. Still tired as hell but better than she had been the day prior. Hmmm…once they did some work for the Newspaper Club, she was heading straight back to bed. After getting some food of course. Tsukune couldn't possibly say no to her digging her fangs in after the large energy drain she had gone through. Even Inner Moka was deathly quiet, possibly feeling the lack of energy in the rosario much, much more than the faux Moka.

The girl went to turn around a corner but stopped when she nearly collided with a tall boy in casual clothing, a cast on his arm, and plenty of bandages. A quick look upwards made her gasp once she recognized the messy brown hair and sharp features. The look of surprise mirrored on his face slowly bled from astonishment into smugness. Moka sniffed once before making tightening the fingers at her side into a fist and subconsciously raising her youki level, getting Gin to show off even more pointy teeth at her sudden display of dominance.

"Well, well, well…"

"Moka!" Both teenagers spun at the sharp crack of a voice, taking in the sight of Naruto being led along by a girl with long purple hair (or in Moka's case, Mizore) with Tsukune not far behind. The pinkette released a small sigh of comfort upon seeing familiar faces and knowing she now wasn't alone with the boy who nearly killed her friend. As the two mortal enemies continued with the stare off, Gin was the first to break it off with something akin to angry regret before turning and moving back down the hall he had originally been aiming for.

"I expect to see you all working on the paper. Can't be wasting time, now can we?" he threw over his shoulder. Gin hated the fact he had shown weakness first but dammit the guy blew himself up to take him out in tandem. Even if he hated Naruto's guts and wanted to disembowel him with his own claws, there was now a furiously begrudging respect in there somewhere that made the werewolf want to throw up in disgust. Respect a zoanthrope? Never. But as a fighter…well, maybe. it would only be sweeter once the bastard was lying dead at his feet.

"And I expect you to go fuck off!"

"Only with the ladies!"

The blond scoffed and growled as the older male disappeared from sight, probably to find some girl to try and take pity on his wounds, before feeling the weak tug of fingers on the sleeve of his gown. Neck muscles contracted as he turned to look at Mizore, the girl rolling her ever-present lollipop around with her tongue.

"Relax. You're giving off too much power." So he was. His eyes had changed back into golden slits and his claws had sprouted like a defense mechanism once again in response to the lycanthrope's presence. Tsukune's breaths were heavier than normal as Naruto's power saturated the air and only the boy bringing his youki under control allowed the human to once again breathe freely. "Good. Now let's go."

"Yes, ma'am." Mizore nodded, uncaring at his sarcasm as the foursome finally left the building. Things were never going to be normal, that's for sure. Especially when moments later they were joined by the two missing members of their group who proceeded to tear into the snow woman. Ninety-nine percent of the male population would have loved to be in his shoes. Having hot girls fighting over him and all that jazz. But Naruto felt like he was that lonely one percent.

It felt like way too much trouble to be in some sort of pseudo-harem. Then he slapped himself for thinking such an unmanly thought.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_Their time was up and it was time to head out. Naruto and Jiraiya had packed up all of their belongings and changed back into their black outfits from before, actually tidied up a bit and had all the rips and tears patched up thanks to the nimble fingers of Akasha. The woman ignored their words and did the work anyways, saying it was no trouble at all and wouldn't take anything for the trouble. Such a sweet woman-_

_-who could have crushed every single person in the castle in an instance, if she wished._

_Almost in a mirror of when they all first met, the two groups were back in the hall standing across from each other. Akasha was smiling, Issa was indifferent, Akua looked as though she was fighting herself not to grab his whiskered cheeks, Kahlua was fighting back tears, Kokoa had some sort of half-smile/frown, as though she couldn't figure out whether she was happy or sad their guests were leaving. And Moka…was acting like her father._

_The two had spent a lot of time together, mostly with the blond following the silvernette (and both being tailed by the redhead). Naruto did what he could to try and get the girl to lighten up and he felt like he was making some progress. He just needed more time but alas that was something they didn't have. Oh, there were a few occasions where he got the vampire to laugh or act like an actual kid her age, but they were far and between. What he didn't know was the girl had actually been fighting to stay that way and not give away her real feelings on the matter. After all, she was a vampire and the zoanthrope had to earn his spot as her…friend._

_A vicious cycle of Naruto doing something and Moka acting like it did not work, only to get him to try harder._

"_Thanks for allowing us to stay, everyone. It's been rather enlightening, hasn't it brat?" Jiraiya gave the family a bow only to drop an elbow onto his younger charge's head when the movement wasn't mirrored. Naruto clutched the top of his skull and growled but mimicked the bow regardless._

"_Yeah…it has. Thank you for allowing me to learn about your species."_

"_You're quite welcome. In fact, I think it would be simply delightful if you stopped by again sometime. I know I certainly enjoyed the visit." Akasha beamed, getting the subtlest of eye rolls from her husband. That's just what he needed especially when Moka's tenth birthday was right around the corner. So many vampires would be in attendance and it would sully the party if members other than their species were there as guests. If only they could foretell the upcoming days...perhaps the clan of vampires could have done something about Akua's pending 'betrayal' and the loss of Akasha. Not only that, but Moka wouldn't be forced into her new 'human' life that augmented her loneliness. But that still had yet to pass and this was now._

"_Yes well, it would most likely be sometime far in the future. After all these two are on a journey of sorts, are they not?"_

"_Yeah but perhaps in the future like you said. Just send a message to the village and we'll pick it up from there. Naruto her usually sends letters to his friends so expect some to appear for the girls at some point, FYI." As the adults conversed, the younger members dropped into their own little conversational group to finish up their goodbyes. The girls were saying their own personal farewells to the blond shape-shifter and finally it was down to Naruto and Moka. A small grin was present on the boy's face but the female's lips were in a perfect line of neutralness._

"_So this is it, eh? And I was doing so good too. I'm pretty sure I'm your friend now Moka-chan."_

"_It's not polite to say such lies, you know."_

"_Aaaah you're just playing hard to get. Just admit it already. Hey I know! You can whisper to me if you want. That way you don't give away your big, bad vampire persona."_

"_No thank you."_

_The grin dropped into a pout as he stared at her with half-lidded eyes. And people said __he__ was stubborn. Oh well. He knew he was right in his mind, so therefore it was obviously true. Even when she denied such a fact, there was no way she wouldn't come around eventually._

"_Well, whatever." Moka 'hmphed' and crossed her arms over her chest. "So do you want a hug too?"_

"_W-what?" And there it was. He startled the supposedly unflappable girl again. Right on._

"_I said do you want a hug? Your sisters gave me one, well Kokoa didn't. But she's more stubborn than you on these types of things."_

"_Hey!"_

"_No, I do not."_

"_Pleeeeeeeease?" Naruto spread his arms wide and did his best to make his lower lip quiver and eyes water, which with his whiskers and air of sadness made Akua bite her lip as not to squeak. Perhaps once she put her plan in motion she could take the lad as a pet. At least he'd be better than an actual cat in the long run as they grew older. Moka closed her eyes and rubbed the space between them, damning the boy for using such a dirty, underhanded tactic against her before he left. Even she had her limits._

"…_fine. But I won't enjoy it."_

"_Woo!" The young monster quickly found herself pulled into his arms, doing her best not to put too much strength into squeezing him. After all, she couldn't show that she was indeed enjoying it or wanting to actually embrace him. Remembering what the boy said before, Moka swallowed before barely moving her mouth. The words were so low it was more like air silently escaping her lungs and she wondered if she somehow just thought them all up but the feline youkai was still able to make out every word. It helped when your senses were enhanced and Moka was talking with her mouth right next to his ear._

"_I'm glad you're my friend."_

_When the two pulled apart, the smile threatening to split Naruto's face was massive. The vampire felt a small amount of dismay at seeing such a sight, worried he had somehow actually understood her. The next seven words he spoke with a happy tone brought an embarrassed blush to her face that confused all but Kokoa. She had been present for its beginning, after all._

"_It looks like I win the bet."_

_Damn him._

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_A/N: Wow. Finally. For whatever reason it took me forever to write this filler chapter. But here ya go. Woo. _

_For those who might be confused, Moka's story actually takes place after Mizore. Naruto met Kurumu, then Mizore, then Moka. The back story for her just came first. Mizore will have her own in due time._

_I literally found a great bargain at Gamestop for less than 2 dollars. One Piece Grand Battle for the PS2. I remember wanting it when it actually came out but I could never find it anywhere but lo and behold…years later there it is. I also need to get Ultimate Ninja Storm Generations…my friend still has my UNS2 but I already did everything you could in it sans every title or picture. And this one has both Naruto and Shippuden storylines! And I'm ranting because I don't actually have much to say but wanted to fill this up anyways!_

_Any who, new chapter. Have fun._


End file.
